Exitiale Somnia
by TimelessKitsune
Summary: Prompto knew what he was: a clone meant to be a MT, an outsider. Yet he was willing to push that all to the side in order to protect his friends. When Noctis, Ignis and Gladiolus left the crown city he stayed behind by order of the king. Now with all the people that matter thinking he is dead, he travels with the oracle to face his daemons and the gods. FFXV Fall of Insomnia AU.
1. Oblitus

**So here's a new story idea I had. Yeah I know, I said I wouldn't write another one but here we go. Prompto didn't go with Noctis and the others when they left. However he'll still get himself involved in this whole story one way or another, don't you worry about that. There's going to be a whole lot of different things going on, mostly because I'm giving Prompto the ability to sense other MT's and such.**

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 **Basically the Scourge is a living thing that's going to be effecting a lot more of the world than before. Its more than just demonic energy, its a fearsome creature that can utterly destroy its host. Basically there's a reason why Prompto is one of the few people (like Ardyn) that isn't immediately destroyed by the scourge in them, and that'll be something that we'll be exploring eventually.**

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Chapter One: Oblitus

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Prompto stood off to the side, knowing that he should have been standing there in front of the throne with his friends. Now, he was standing beside the throne next to the king, once again aware of how the crystal had aged him. The man shouldn't have looked nearly eighty years old, not normally, but the ring was a terrible power gifted to be protected by the kings of Lucius. Noctis would have to bear that power one day too. Prompto's blue eyes flicked to the ground again. He didn't want to look him in the eye. He probably felt betrayed by him in some way, knowing that he should have joined them on this journey.

Prompto had never really felt like he fit in here, though there were several reasons for that. One of them namely being his appearance. Most Lucius he had ever met had some form of either black or brown hair, which made him stand out like a sore thumb. Blonde hair wasn't unheard of here, but knowing where he really came from, where lighter colored hair was more normal, it made the fact that he was a foreigner here even more obvious. He was thin, lanky and swift but not strong. He had good aim but that's about all he had going for him. He had blue eyes, pale skin and a constellation of freckles across his nose. He wasn't like his three friends, whose eyes were boring holes into his skull as the silence continued for a while.

What they were doing was important. They were trying to secure peace with Niflheim, his home. However the peace was rocky and involved marrying Noctis Lucius Caelum, the prince of Lucius, to the Princess of what was once Tenebrae, and the Oracle, Lady Lunafreya Nox Fluret. The prince's sworn shield and his adviser were both going with him, and he was supposed to be going too. More for moral support than anything he thought, though the others had assured him that Noctis had made the choice for his own valid reasons.

"The decreed hour is come," the king said, his voice echoing powerfully through the throne room.

Even Prompto felt his eyes drawn towards the man as he heard the words. His face was chiseled with age, but a kindness too. His hair and beard, once black, regally adorned his head and was flecked with a steel gray color. He wore all black, the color of the crownsguard (which Prompto had somehow gotten himself into) and the royal family of Lucius. As if they were mourning, what he didn't know, but the color had always been so sombre. Maybe it was because of the weight of the ring of the Lucii and all the kings who had died bearing it. The man's brown eyes rested a moment on Prompto as Noctis's eyes flicked towards him, full of compassion.

Prompto's eyes traveled towards his friends. Ignis Scientia, as always, looked sharp. A tall and thin man that was lithe and fully capable of handling himself in battle. Unlike Prompto, who was known for being clumsy. There was a reason for that, a terrifying one that he had never shared with anyone. He was tall and had gray eyes, contrasting the brown hair he had styled carefully over his head. He was peering at Prompto with concern over the edge of his glasses. On the other side of the prince was Gladiolus Amicitia. He was basically a living wall. Tall and broad shouldered, full of muscles and covered in scars and tattoos. Dark brown hair and eyes made him look intimidating. Both Gladio and Iggy looked like people meant to protect the future king.

His eyes finally traveled to Noctis, who was staring at his father with a carefully neutral face. He was pale, taller than Prompto (who was admittedly a tiny twenty year old man) and only a few months older than he was too. He had been Prompto's best friend for many long years, and now he wouldn't even look at him. His eyes were blue, a dark color that seemed fathomless, as if he had been born with the kind of eyes that no one could read. They said eyes were the window to the soul, but Noctis's were mysterious to no end. His hair, carefully styled, was pitch black, like the night sky. Maybe that's where his name had come from.

"Set forth with my blessing," the king continued. "Prince Noctis." Noctis bent low at the waist, bowing to his father.

"Thank you," he said, then added as an afterthought. "Your majesty."

"Take your leave," King Regis said, every word he spoke driving his powerful voice home. "and go in the grace of the gods."

"Right," came the prince's quiet reply.

Noctis turned, without another glance, and began walking out of the room, carefully treading down the stone stairs made of marble that adorned the richly decorated room. Sounding surprised, both Ignis and Gladio sent Prompto confused glances before bowing quietly and making their way after Noctis. Prompto watched him go with a frown on his face. Ever since Noctis had heard the news that the king wanted him to stay here during the signing, he had been avoiding him. Noctis had refused to talk to Prompto for days, and Prompto knew it was because he was angry with him and his father. Prompto was supposed to be leaving with them, for whatever that was worth. And it probably hadn't helped that he had said he felt he could be of more use here.

That much was true. He could barely fight as it was, not like the other members of the crown's guard. Not at least, while he was holding IT in check. But he had always been afraid to simply let it go and let it do the things he had seen the others do when he was younger. So he didn't fight well. Hell, sometimes he couldn't even walk without hurting himself because he was so focused trying to keep it pushed down somewhere deep inside. But he was willing to use it, to help the king and Noctis even if everyone hate him. If he tapped into it, just a little, he would be able to sense the Magitek Troopers and the other various types of machinery that the empire could use. Why had he told the king about this ability (though not how he could do it)? Because Prompto had been raised in the Empire. He didn't believe for a second they wanted peace. Not since hearing them preach about war against Lucius for as long as he could remember.

If he had expected the king to hate him for this knowledge or even ask questions, he didn't. He seemed to simply trust what he said with no complaints. Then, to complicate matters more, he had apparently given him a title. The king's Technical Adviser. It was a clever ruse to hide what he was really doing, he had to admit, but it had people practically in riots. It was already bad enough with Noctis had made him one of his sword sworn, able to use his connection to the prince to summon weapons through the armiger. As long as they were both alive, he would be able to feel if he summoned his weapons to help him through that bond despite any distance between them.

Now he was supposed to be helping the king with peace treaties. He could understand their dislike of him though. His specialty was guns and machinery. The problem was that machinery was almost always equated with Nifflehiem, which had been at war with Lucius for such a long time. They wanted peace? He believed that about as much as he did that Behemoths made good pets. They would bring as many war machines as they could to take down Lucius, and Prompto was going to be here to warn everyone when that time came. It was to protect the king, and Noctis too. Because as much as the prince acted like he hated both of them right now, he would do anything to keep him happy. And he would never forgive himself if something happened to his dad.

And him? Well there was a good chance if he, no when he found out what he really was, that he would hate him. That would hurt. There was no getting around that fact. But he would endure all the pain in the world if it meant that Noctis could continue to be happy. Even if it meant that Noct had to kill him in the end. After all, that was usually the way that MT's went. He had been born a Magitek Trooper, one of the creatures created to make the existence of his friends as painful as possible. At a young age they had injected the very thing that was threatening to tear their world apart, the Scourge, into him. Niflheim was heavily industrialized and so they didn't seem to notice or care, but Lucius could see what it was doing. Prompto was fated to stand on the other side of this war as his best friends, but he was choosing to defy that fate, even if they hated him for it.

At the thought of the scourge, he could feel it deep under his skin. It was bubbling and crying out, gnashing its teeth and weeping. It was a pitiful broken mess that made him even worse that it was. It was always there, trying to creep out and turn him into a monster like the other MT's. He had been fighting it for such a long time, but it was terrible. It felt like a losing battle and that's what made it worse. The thought that one day he wouldn't be able to hold it back and that's when his friends would find out the terrible secret he had been hiding from them for so long.

Prompto hadn't been aware that the king had stood from the uncomfortable looking throne until a steady hand had been put onto his shoulder. It made him jump, despite himself, and he flushed in embarrassment when he realized he had been caught off guard by a cripple old man. The knee brace he used flashed in the light, looking just as regal as the rest of him. The man's eyes were compassionate though, concerned even.

"Y-Your Majesty," he managed.

"Are you all right?" the king asked.

Prompto couldn't help but blink at this. Was he all right? No. He was far from it. He was aching inside from trying to hold back the scourge. He was sad because his best friend wouldn't even look at him before he had left, frustrated because they hadn't spoken in days. Something about this didn't set right, especially not the resigned face of the king. Because they both knew that this wouldn't end without bloodshed. But he was surprised by the question, and a programmed response left his lips before he could help it. He knew that the king knew better than that, that he knew it was a lie.

"I'm fine, sir," he said. The man's hand tightened just a little on his shoulder, before pulling away.

"Go," he said. "Speak to my wayward son before he's gone. I will follow as quickly as I can."

"O-Oh," Prompto said, surprised. "No, I think I shouldn't. I mean, he's already pretty mad at me as it is. I can just...text him later or something."

"Prompto," the man said quietly, with a real ache in his voice. "Do not let this silence stand between the two of you. I know better than most the ache that not speaking to another can cause. You will regret it if you do not fix things now."

There was something in his voice, something that told Prompto that he knew more than what he was giving away. It spoke of pain and agony, at a fate that he knew but he could not speak of. It spoke of things that would happen to all of them before the day was done. And yet Prompto still couldn't think of anything to say. He didn't want to bother Noctis, mainly because they would be parting eventually. There was little Prompto could do against his own coding, and the scourge was another matter itself. There was a lot he wanted to say to his friends, even if only thanking them for giving him a life worth living. But he didn't want to give them false hope that he could be saved. The blonde shook his head and took a step back.

"I'll be fine," he said, making himself sound more cheerful than he was. "Noctis will marry the Oracle and there will be peace. I'll have plenty of time to tell him all the things that happened when he comes back. But if you want to catch him you're going to have to go now. Make sure he isn't already giving Gladio and Iggy fits, won't you?"

The king's eyes were sad and pitying now, but he didn't say anything. Instead he leaned again into his cane and began making his slow way out of the room, another man in hot pursuit of the ailing king to make sure he safely made it to where the prince was waiting. Prompto stood there in silence, thinking to himself of all the things that could actually go wrong when they were parting like this. There was a good chance, a really good damn chance, that he wasn't making it out of here ever again. The silent darkness of the citadel had never felt like a tomb more than anything else. The blonde started chewing on his bottom lip, and pulled out his phone again, opening a message.

 **To Noctis:** _Thanks for everything_

Prompto didn't wait to see if a reply came, shoving the phone back into his pocket. With how angry the prince had been before he had left he doubted that he would even open the message if he saw who it was from. He couldn't help it. He couldn't bring himself to face Noctis right now, or Iggy or Gladio for that matter, but he couldn't let this just be the end. He had to say something. He hoped that all of the things he wanted to say, all his pain and love for his friends could be conveyed into one single phrase. Hell, it was so out of character that he almost wished that Noctis came barging back into the room, demanding to know what was wrong.

Prompto was the joker. He was always pulling pranks and making others laugh. He was the guy with all the quips and laughs, the silly little man that liked to photograph everything. His usual parting would be something like "see you later dork" or else really similar. The fact that he had texted something so formal, so final, his friends would know right then that something was terribly wrong. Honestly he didn't know if it would make it worse or not, saying something so simple after all the time he had spent not talking to the prince here lately. But he at least felt better knowing that he had done something to tell Noctis how much they all meant to him.

"I guess I finally got the last word, huh?" Prompto laughed humorlessly to himself.

There was no response. He was alone in the throne room, which mournfully echoed his words back to him. Prompto shivered, looking at the cold gray stone around him. The whole citadel, huge and full of so many rooms. Would this be his tomb? The dark thoughts refused to go away, letting the scourge sink its teeth more painfully into his mind. But he just turned and left the room to try and get some rest before everything went to hell later. He was going to need to be on top of his game if he was going to make sure as many people survived as possible. For a while at least he was staying in the citadel, close enough to be useful when the time came.

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If there was one thing that Prompto hated, it was how fast the hours seemed to fly by when something terrible was approaching. As he had thought, Noctis hadn't replied to his text. Hell, he probably hadn't even opened it. But maybe that was for the best right now. It was better that his friends got as far away from here as possible. He probably wasn't going to be so lucky, but he was perfectly fine with that. He just had to take it one step at a time. One more step. It was surprisingly easy, he found, to focus on the ailing king than himself. Especially since that King walked so slowly and with such an obvious limp. Some might see it as weakness, but Prompto really knew that it was because he was so strong. Who else could uphold the power of that ring? Not even Noct could do that, not for a long while. The thought of his friend brought a tight pain to his chest that he tried to ignore. He was doing this for him. Nothing else mattered.

"Prompto," the king said, surprising him and making him blink as he turned to look at him.

They had stopped in a quiet hallway, some distance from the room where the meeting was going to take place. Something about his tone of his voice told the blonde that this was a deadly serious matter. Behind the king stood another man, Clarus Amicitia. He was Gladiolus's father, and an intimidating man to be sure. He was a middle aged man with a shaved head and blue eyes. What parts of his hair visible were gray, like the aging king's. He wore a black and gold uniform, similar to the one they had switched Prompto's normal clothes with. The man's eyes were glancing at the king, a question forming at his eyes as he motioned the other Kingsglaives back.

"Y-Your highness?" Prompto asked. This time, he paused because the man's eyes were filled with pity and sorrow when he looked at him.

"I think its time I admitted to you everything," he said, to both Prompto and Clarus's confusion. "You do not remember much of when you came here, do you?"

Prompto couldn't suppress a wince at the thought of the early years of his life. Years of growing silently inside of a test tube, waking only long enough for the scientists to change his coding, tattoo his wrist with the code that all MT's bore, for the scourge to be administered dose by dose. He could remember being told again and again that he was a unit, not a person, for the glory of the empire's army. He could remember training and conditioning on how to use a gun and where to shoot, even going so far as to use animals, daemons and gods forbid, people as target practice. As for how he'd gotten here...he wasn't sure. He had been put back into his pod for conditioning and when he woke up he was simply here, in Lucius. Aware that Clarus was watching him, and the king had put a steadying hand on his shoulder again, Prompto slowly shook his head.

"I don't recall how I got here," he confirmed. "It was like just...waking up in another place."

"I thought as much," the king hummed lowly to himself, not sounding very pleased about what had apparently happened in this time. "There are few people who know the information I am about to tell you, which you Prompto are already aware of. Those that know are myself, as well as Cor and Monica who were on the mission where you were...retrieved. Clarus, please allow me to finish before you begin doubting our young friend here."

Prompto realized where this was going with a sense of dread that settled into his stomach. How much did they know? Is that why the king had simply not questioned it when he had admitted to his ability to sense the MT's? He had thought that it had been odd that he had a hole in his memory, but he had never expected it to be because they were aware. How long had they been watching him, making sure he wouldn't turn into a monster? If they were aware then why had the king always been so willing to let him near his only son? Clarus's confusion were evident, as was the wide eyed way that Prompto was staring at the king. It was probably really disrespectful and all but he couldn't find a way to care at the moment. Slowly the Amicitia nodded.

"Very well," the king continued. "Then I will explain. During the last war, we discovered that there was a new army being created by the Empire, one made of what we assumed were some kind of robot. We were wrong in that regard. Cor and Monica were investigating one of the facilities where these were being created and they found Prompto here. After learning what they had about the creation of this army, they couldn't leave a child there in good conscience. I will be blunt, as we are running short on time. Prompto is a Magitek Trooper, originally from Niflheim."

"Right," Clarus snorted, which Prompto honestly couldn't blame him for. "I'll believe that when Bahamut comes for tea one day. MT's are well trained, a practically unbeatable army even if only for sheer numbers. Prompto's about as clumsy as they come."

"I do believe," the king continued, stepping between Clarus and Prompto. Whether it was instinctual or not, neither one of them missed it. "it is because he has been suppressing his own programming. Prompto, your wrist, if you will."

The command was quiet, not at all forceful, yet it made Prompto wince as if he had just been struck. Ever since he had been little and first found himself here, he had always made an effort to hide the code that was tattooed into his wrist. He knew why the king had stepped between them, knowing that his shield would hesitate to harm him if he tensed to attack him. Prompto had never let his friends see his wrist, let alone the king. Mostly because he knew many people would recognize what it was. People like Clarus had spent nearly Prompto's whole life fighting the Empire, and they would obviously know that MT's had codes on their wrists. He fiddled with the black band that had hidden it for years, but ultimately decided it would be better to not put it off.

He lifted just the edge, enough that the man could clearly see the bar code and the set of numbers that ran along it. As he expected, the shield's eyes flashed and he tensed, as if to attack the boy standing in the corridor. However King Regis stepped in the way again, meeting the Amicitia's eyes directly and placing a hand on Prompto's shoulder, as if to keep him from bolting. Prompto almost did, feeling like suddenly everything he ever was and ever would be was suddenly clearly visible for anyone to see. And that's what made it worse. He quickly tugged the band safely back over his wrist, where the unassuming set of numbers couldn't hurt him.

"Listen to me," the king said, his tone changing to one that clearly sounded like a growl. Whatever it was, it seemed to work and snap the man out of it. Only then did it change to a soft purr again that Prompto usually associated with him. "I would trust Prompto with my life, and that of my son's. He is here of his own free will, choosing to help give us an idea of the Empire's forces so that we'll be able to evacuate as many people as possible in time. He has never, not even once, shown that his programming will harm anyone, let alone the people of speaking, he is not a MT. He is not one of those turned into a daemon or even one of those cyborg infantry men."

"But still," Clarus growled, eying Prompto like he was a bug he longed to squash. "There's no telling how he'll react with the Emperor in the room. It would be better if-"

"He is coming with us," King Regis said. "I have made my decision. If you cannot trust him now, knowing what he is, then you never trusted him to begin with. If nothing else, trust me when I say that I know what I am doing. Please, my friend."

For a long while, there was an uneasy silence. Prompto was almost convinced that Clarus was going to ignore the king and kill him right then and there. His eyes kept flicking between Prompto's wrist and the king, as if unsure what to do for the very first time. Finally though he forced himself to relax and nodded, though his eyes remained carefully trained on Prompto. The blonde didn't dare heave the sigh of relief that he was feeling in his chest. He stared at the floor, nervously shifting as he waited. The king's hand squeezed his shoulder again for the second time that day.

"Argentum," the man continued, his voice sounding more authoritative now. "I want you near Amicitia at all times." The man's eyes flicked between the blonde and his old friend. "Do not misunderstand. I do not know how exactly Magitek Troopers are able to sense one another, but if you open yourself to sense the others, they will sense you as well. I would have as few casualties as possible."

"I understand," Prompto mumbled. Clarus nodded as well, but his eyes were trained on Prompto and it was clear he wasn't going to trust him any time soon.

"Very good," the king said, relaxing finally and removing his hand from Prompto's shoulder. "Then we will be beginning soon. Prompto. Have you sensed anything yet?"

That. This is what he was dreading since he had first revealed his ability, knowing fully well what it was going to meant for him. Did the King know what this really entailed? What it really meant to do this? He wasn't sure, so he busied himself closing his eyes and reaching inside of himself. He could feel it, the dark choir that always sat under his skin, trying to drag him into the shadows where they lay. As he reached out for it, they reached for him too. They snatched at him, scratching at his mind, at his skin, flaying him alive, trying to suffocate him. But there was always a point where they would stop, where they couldn't reach any farther. It made them scream and thrash more, hurting him all the while. He could feel himself wince, hear someone asking something in a concerned tone, but he couldn't really hear them over the screaming of the choir.

Finally seeming to concede that it could not in fact, take him over, it reluctantly allowed him to expand his senses outwards into the city, into the world beyond them. He could feel others, the hundreds of MT's the empire had taken with them. Did no one else hear them screaming? They must not, because everyone else said that MT's didn't even speak, let alone make noises. All they heard was the silence of deadly machines. Prompto could hear them though. Screaming and reaching out, clinging to him like a lost light in the darkness. He couldn't help but shudder again at their unseen hands, screeching at him in pained voices.

WHERE AM I?

WHAT AM I?

I'M SCARED!

HELP ME!

Prompto wished he could comfort them, let them know that he was there and that he knew what they were going through. But he knew better than anyone that empty words held no reassurances. How could he help them when he couldn't even help himself? Why did he, out of millions of MT's created, have the ability to withstand the scourge in his heart? He knew that whatever it was, it had made sure that his father had kept him around as kind of a pet project despite his rebellious nature. Most MT's, when deemed no longer in working order, were "decommissioned". Basically it was a fancy word meaning they were destroyed. And yet here Prompto was.

He shivered, pulling his mind away from the ancient, swirling mass and the others. When he went to open his eyes, he felt a familiar feeling of dirtiness in them. It was one of the true signs of a MT, the black gunk that poured from their mouths and their eyes. He had to rub at his eyes to hide any traces of it, but swallowing the gunk that began to pool in his throat was more of a challenge. He took a deep, steadying breath before opening his eyes again and turning to look at the king. Clarus looked unnerved, as if he had witnessed something he had never seen before, and the king looked extremely concerned. His hand was on Prompto's shoulder again, as if to steady him despite the fact that his posture never wavered. It did help to ground him though.

"Low level MT soldiers," he said, his usual chipper voice now sounding crisp and like a soldier's. Clarus visibly flinched, as if to reach for his sword. "Ranked two to four. They're carrying weapons of all makes and models. Not exactly a threat though, considering they're so few. They're programmed for self defense."

"Anything else?" the king asked in a careful tone. This is where some of Prompto's humanity reappeared, making him frown slightly.

"There's something," he said, sounding as confused as he felt. "Outside the wall? I can't really get a good read on it."

"That's good enough for now," the king said, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Prompto." Here however the man paused, the concerned look passing over his face. "Are you sure you're all right? What exactly-"

"Your majesty!"

They all turned their attention, surprised, as a clearly distressed man came running into the room with exasperated guards following him closely. As he made his way into the room, he quickly dropped to one knee in front of the king, and Prompto recognized his uniform as belonging to one of the Kingsglaive. That's right. Most of the crown's guard were outside, barely on duty, and not really here in the citadel. Prompto was the only member of the crown's guard (and not even Regis's, but Noctis's) that was even in the citadel at this point. The rest of them were all elsewhere, enjoying some time off, or so they thought. He knew that the king had most likely ordered them all out of the way, in hopes that they could survive. He had kept only his elite by his side, making sure that the battle remained here instead of elsewhere. And he also kept Prompto.

Prompto stood there awkwardly, unsure what he was supposed to be doing. He was outmatched and outclassed by a long shot, part of the new generation of the crownsguard and not the old, which had faced untold battles. It was like standing next to Cor the Immortal (he had to reign in his inner fanboy there for a moment), and expecting to come out anywhere near the same level. True, he had his training as a MT, but he had suppressed that for about as long as he had existed. That wasn't really the same thing. If anyone was going to die here, it was most definitely him.

"The Empire has taken the Oracle Hostage."

Of all the news that Prompto had expected, this wasn't it. She had just been at the party the night before! Well, Prompto hadn't been there. He wasn't allowed to go, but still he had heard about it from the king! He felt the choir surge at this, rising and screaming louder than ever and enough so that he was kind of surprised that no one else could hear it at this point. He winced again, but nobody was looking at him as he fought down the angry swell. What was so different this time, out of so many times Lady Lunafreya had been mentioned, that it made the choir scream so much? By the time he had reigned it in, he was only able to hear the king give the man permission to deploy the kingsglaive to save the Oracle.

"Seems that things are becoming more exciting than we had hoped for," the king mumbled. Prompto, unsure if it was meant towards him, simply nodded.

He couldn't help but send a quick prayer to the astrals, despite not knowing if they would answer prayers of someone like him. He couldn't help it though, feeling both overwhelmed here.

 _Sure hope your travels are going better, buddy. 'Cause things are going to hell here._

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 **So there's the end of chapter one. Things are going to get a little more hectic from here on out. And since I have no talents at translating latin I went with (fuck it) Google Translate. The story's title is "Fatal Dreams" and the title of the chapter is "Forgot/Forgotten". Now in the next chapter we'll be meeting Ardyn and shit's going to get really chaotic really fast. Espeically if the chapter title's anything to go off of. Next chapter is Cadere, or "Fall/Fallen". Gee, I wonder what that's a reference to. No idea at all.**

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 **Anyway, I hope you guys are eventually looking forward to badass Prompto, because that is going to happen a few times over the course of the story. I have no idea how many times that's going to be. The story is based around Prompto (later chapters will have less of a serious writing style and more of a funny one since its from his point of view) and for a while he won't be traveling with Noct and the guys, but two other characters that may or may not surprise you. Anyway this is another fix it story. So a lot of people live.**


	2. Cadere

**So here we go with chapter two. This is an idea that I apparently really want to write. I'm kind of stuck on Oblivio Deorum because writing children is really freaking hard, and Thunderdog is getting written slowly but surely. So here I am, updating this one because I want to at least get through the actual Fall of Insomnia before I actually work on other stories. I'm working on all of them off and on, alternating between the three stories, so they will be updated. I'll let everyone know if I plan on abandoning them.**

* * *

 **So anyway, this is another more serious style chapter. My writing style will be changing to more reflect Prompto as a character as time goes on, but serious times call for serious thinking. So that's why this is closer to my normal writing style. I did this story specifically because I knew I wanted to keep Prompto as in character as possible and that meant making sure my writing style reflected that. And its way harder than I though. So eventually Prompto will be joining back up with the guys, but that will be a while. I'll also be changing the signing scene.**

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Chapter Two: Cadere

* * *

Something about the man was off. He was wearing all black to the citadel, a color usually only reserved for the royal family of Lucius, but he was the Imperial Chancellor. Didn't the empire usually like to wear white as some sort of sign? He wasn't sure, but that wasn't all that screamed out at him. He was wearing a hat, he noticed in an off hand kind of way, distracted though he wasn't sure why. Like, did he even realize how disrespectful that was? INSIDE the citadel, no less? It wasn't until the man walked past him did he realize what was wrong.

The choir in the back of his head sprang up, screaming and wailing. It made Prompto balk like a scared chocobo, though none of the imperials seemed to notice this. Both Clarus and King Regis did however, and he could feel their stares boring into him even as he tried to silence the choir again. This time though it didn't back down. It didn't flee from him. No it wrapped around him as far as it was able, screaming and crying in fury and fear. Like armor, it screeched at the man, who only faltered in his steps once before an oily smile made its way onto his face.

FEAR

ANGER

PROTECT

Prompto felt a sense of vertigo from the sheer screaming of the voices that usually hid in the back of his mind. Now they were in the front, not fighting to take him over as they usually would but there all the same. Protect what? What were they afraid of? Anger? Whose anger? Everything was slipping around him, falling as they fought to urge him into battle against something. He was trying desperately to keep himself grounded but he was falling and this time he didn't want to fight it. Oh gods was this what the others felt when they-

A strong hand on his shoulder made him jump, but grounded him all the same. And to Prompto's surprise the choir pulled back as well, purring lowly. He blinked, never having realized that the choir could purr at all. He was so distracted that he almost didn't notice Clarus watching the burgundy haired man closer than ever. Prompto had to admit, he didn't really look like a comforting person given the fact his amber eyes gave him a hungry, wolf like look. He almost missed the question the king asked him as well.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Prompto, unable to speak past the black gunk gathering in his throat in response to the choir's anger, just nodded.

Next to the chancellor was another man, an older man with white hair. His face was lined with age but his crystalline eyes were lined with malice. There was something completely unwelcoming and dark about the figure of the man, who held himself taller and mightier than the king of Lucius. MT's were stationed outside along with the guards of the citadel, leaving only a few members of both to kingsglaive and the dignitaries of Niflheim within the room. Iedolas Aldercapt made Prompto about as comfortable as he would be trying to walk on a bed of coals.

"Ah," the Emperor said, his voice falsely cheerful. "and here we are. I was worried perhaps that you were not going to show."

"I apologize," the king said, his tone both formal and smooth. Prompto felt his eyes widening despite himself. "A rather brazen thief decided to strike last night. The matter was of too much importance to simply dismiss."

"How unfortunate," the Emperor sighed as the party finally came to a halt. "I do hope you can be compensated for your loss."

Prompto wanted to snort, not believing him for a second. What were the odds that the man wasn't part of this whole plot to kidnap the oracle? Not likely. The weathered king took a seat at his chair, leaving Prompto and Clarus took stop just behind him and take in the scene. The few MT's that were in the room were silent, standing to the side just like the members of the kingsglaive that were here in the room as well. There wasn't much else in the way of people, he knew that at the same time the eyes of the world were on them. It was being filmed as they spoke, the whole world holding their breath and cheering for a treaty that would never be signed.

Even as the Emperor moved to take his own seat behind the desk and await the treaty to be signed the burgandy haired chancellor moved to take a place behind the emperor just as Clarus and Prompto were both doing. He purposefully moved so that he was standing directly next to Prompto. The blonde tried to ignore the man that was so much taller standing next to him, but he could feel the scourge bristled as much as he could see Clarus's obvious unease with the situation.

On one hand, he didn't trust Prompto and he was loathe to let him be here at all. But on the other hand, something deeply struck all of them as not being right with the other man. As much as Clarus didn't like MT's, he had known Prompto since he was a kid. There was something deeply unsettling about seeing the chancellor hovering next to the small man. The meetings were suddenly put on hold as a member of the guard came running into the room. As he did, he ran to the king, slipping just past Prompto without touching him, but making him shift uncomfortably closer to the man next to him. Still, the king seemed to relax.

"What was lost has been returned," the king said.

"Ah," the emperor said, his voice sounding too high to be normal. "how wonderful. It seems that everything has been sorted out then."

Prompto had to force himself not to sigh in relief. At least Lady Lunafreya was safe then, especially since she was supposed to be a symbol of the peace. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if the Empire had managed to somehow spin that the Lucius kingdom had murdered her or something. Still, the Emperor didn't seem very happy with the idea, though he tried to smile. He could feel the scourge growling and bristling in the back of his mind, whispering for now but ready to leap up screaming if it came to having to fight.

"Indeed," King Regis sighed. "Very well then. Shall we?"

"But of course."

That was the instant that the scourge started screaming in his head, shouting and drawing ever closer. Despite just making him extremely uncomfortable, it also made him nervous. What was up with this stupid thing? Usually it was quiet when he forced it down, but now it was reacting to creepy guys in fedoras and trying to get his attention? He closed his eyes, letting his mind reach towards the outside world again to see what had upset it. It clamped down on him, hard, screeching and snarling, biting at the back of his skull and scratching at the front. They swelled and pitched like winds tossing a frothing sea, pointing towards something.

A thrumming. A deep sound that made his very soul shiver. It was like the beat of a drum, hammering behind his eyes and synchronizing with the daemon choir in his brain. It was then, with a feeling of dread settling in his stomach, that he realized he had heard this kind of thrum before. It had been like something created at the same time as him, manufactured for the unbeatable army of the empire. It was too loud to be a car engine, and they were too far inside of the citadel to hear the engines of cars. No this was something that inspired terror in those who heard it. A Magitek Engine.

His eyes flew open, turning to the emperor despite knowing that this was where it was headed. He had really done it! He had really brought airships here into Insomnia! He flicked his eyes to the side of the room, where a kingsglaive was waiting away from the rest. Seeing his wide eyes, he nodded and rushed from the room quickly, moving to hopefully evacuate the citadel and the city in time. How much time did they have left though, if there were airships already close enough for the scourge to hear. He became increasingly aware of Clarus's eyes, not on him but instead on the chancellor standing next to him. It was the chancellor whose knowing smile had turned to Prompto, as if knowing what he had just done and what was happening. King Regis had signed the papers, and the Emperor was smiling as the pen was presented to him.

"Ah," he said. "now, let there truly be peace."

Everything was too still. From the chancellor and Prompto watching each other out of the corners of their eyes, to the MT's, who were absolutely silent like wolves waiting to jump onto their prey. It was the kind of silence that people associated with daemons that were lying in wait to drag off helpless victims. The atmosphere in the room, though it may look relaxed on the television screens outside, was tensed and silent. Clarus, still keeping an eye on the chancellor out of the corner of his eye, leaned forward to whisper to the king of the danger, to get him out of there.

And then an explosion rocked the citadel.

Prompto wasn't entirely aware when the scourge came screaming up through his mind, only the horrible sense of vertigo that came with it. However it didn't let him fall, keeping him firmly grounded even as a familiar blue light filled the air. When he came to his senses, it was to a scene of chaos. Every kingsglaive in the room had their weapon out, pointing it towards the Niflhiem dignitaries and MT's, who had guns pointed back.

King Regis had his armiger activated, with many weapons floating in the air, and the emperor had a gun pointed to his head. Then Prompto became aware of the knife just under his chin, and the gun in his hand pointed to the temple of the chancellor who was holding that knife. If the scourge had reacted a second later, or if he had resisted it at all, he would have probably been at the completely mercy of the chancellor which would have put everyone else in the room in a bad situation.

As it was, the chancellor's smile had only grown wider, as if Prompto had just given him a real treat. Prompto wasn't sure how anyone else in the room was currently faring, but he wasn't taking the chance to take his eyes off of the chancellor now to see what else was happening. But it brought up yet another confusing question about the scourge. Usually it was painful, seeming to delight in his pain, yet with the appearance of the chancellor it had suddenly changed its tune. Now it wanted to protect him? As if it saw the chancellor as some kind of threat to it? He heard the scourge purr again before growling lowly at Ardyn Izunia.

It was what marked him as a MT, and held the coding to his own instincts. It was the being that lived inside of his head, making his life a living hell and hurting him any time it appeared, whether he wanted to call it or not. Even now he could feel it burning in the back of his skull, threatening to spill through his eyes and mouth. But for once it wasn't trying to force him to use it, simply happy for now with lurking beneath his skin. Still, any illusions of peace had slipped away with that explosion, leaving only a tense silence in its wake as the two leaders eyed each other carefully.

* * *

Noctis sighed, sitting in the back of the car quietly and glad that they had finally gotten it fixed and refilled. He still thought that Cid had charged them way too much for fixing the car, even if he was "teaching them a lesson". He wasn't some stupid kid, he was the prince of Lucius for astrals sake! And now they were having to take some stupid hunter jobs around here just to get some more money so they wouldn't be broke. He knew that Ignis was talking about the fact that it was his duty as the future king to protect the people, but it was beyond annoying. He didn't mind helping people, but this was humiliating. He was kind of surprised the Prompto hadn't…

With a start, Noctis remembered that Prompto wasn't here. He had almost forgotten...and that made him sad in a way. He was practically loud and nonstop all the time. Maybe Noctis was always used to having his bubbly friend near him all the time. He kind of missed hearing him laugh and joke about just about everything, for being his friend not because he was the prince but just because he wanted to be his friend. He missed his photographs and most of all, he just really missed Prompto. Not that he was going to admit it out loud. His blonde friend had always just kind of been the kind of person to need reassurance about everything, and he hadn't felt ready to go on this trip with them. But hearing him say that he was needed more at the citadel than with the future king who he was the part of the crownsguard of? That hurt a lot more than anything else.

Noctis was mad, at his father, at Prompto. Hell he was mad that he had to go get married for this treaty in the first place. Sure, he knew Luna and he liked her, but getting shoved into an arranged marriage just because the Empire wanted it? That was pushing it. And what was worse was that his father had agreed, all so there could be peace with the Empire. Then to complicate matters farther, he had learned something about Prompto that not even Noctis, his best friend had known. Hearing that Prompto had kept a secret from him was pretty bad, but having his best friend betray him for this stupid treaty? That had made Noctis so mad that he hadn't spoken to him days before they had even left.

Was it childish? Of course. Ignis had reminded him of it several times. Was it dumb? Probably. Prompto was his best friend after all, and as Gladio pointed out everyone had their secrets. Still, he hadn't wanted to talk to him. Not just because Prompto had kept secrets, but because he was staying behind to help his dad in all of his crazy plans when he should have been here with them. Noctis laid a hand on his pocket, where his phone lay. He hadn't even opened up his phone yet to see what Prompto had texted him just before they left. He couldn't trust himself to not say something even more stupid than avoiding him for nearly a week had been. No for now it would just have to stay unanswered. When all of this was over, he was giving Prompto a piece of his mind.

That was when he felt it, searing through his mind like a flash of light. It was the feeling of fear and pain, but a familiar tug somewhere deep in his soul. That tug was one that he associated with Ignis or Gladio summoning their weapons from his armiger in preparation for battle. But Gladio was asleep in the back of the car and Ignis was driving towards their next destination. Neither of them had summoned their weapons. That left only one other person: Prompto.

But why would he be in pain? Why would he be afraid? Noctis tried to tell himself that it was just some sort of last minute training. He had always been really nervous whenever he spared or trained with anyone, like he was afraid he would mess up somehow. Noctis didn't realize how desperately he wished that was true until he was gripping his phone tightly, as if it was a line that would speed him back to Prompto's side, so that he could help and protect his clumsy, bubbly friend.

That was, until Ignis pulled over, and he caught sight of the giant bird they were going to sneak past to get some stupid rock for that idiot at the peer. Blood pumping at the sheer size of it, and his annoyance at both the burgandy haired "man of no consequence" and the reporter, he was able to push the thoughts to the back of his mind. He would nearly forget why it had caused him so much dread in the first place. When the task was over, he would only remember that he had felt it. By the morning however, he would remember it with a dark clarity.

He would remember it clearly as the instant he felt the fall of Insomnia, and everything that would come with that terrible realization.

* * *

Prompto was trying not to seem nervous. He really was. But it was difficult with a blade pressed to his neck. He wasn't even listening anymore to the conversation of the two leaders as they tried to "talk out" some way of peace. Everyone in the room knew that was a lie, even as the room dissolved into a dangerous blur of bullets and swords. Someone grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, like a kicked puppy, and pulled him away from the chancellor.

He let out an involuntary yelp as he landed unceremoniously on his butt, only to find Clarus warning the chancellor away with a sword. Recovering and raising his weapon, he turned with a lump in his throat to join the battle, knowing that he couldn't simply leave. He had to try and save King Regis, even if only so Noct wouldn't worry. Swallowing past the lump in his throat as he saw Luciuns around him falling, sickening crunches and rips of bullets announcing their deaths even before their limp bodies hit the ground.

"Prompto," Clarus snapped. "Focus!"

"Right," he replied.

It was so much like Gladio that it had surprised him for a moment, though when he thought about it he really shouldn't be surprised that the man reminded him of the younger Amicitia. He was his father after all. Prompto raised his guns instead, taking a deep breath and focusing on his training here instead of his MT instincts and coding. The scourge in his head whined at this, but it allowed him to do so without complaint this time. It seemed rather glad to be away from the Chancellor, so it was letting him get away with so much today. Like a good boy.

The other MT's though were still screaming, loudly crying out and begging to be put down. Out of their misery. Prompto's hands only shook for a few seconds before he complied. He raised his guns at their heads, shooting each two or three times before they went crashing into the ground, the scourge fading from them as they finally ceased their miserable existence. It was a much more peaceful end than any other they could have hoped for, simple and fast. He could give that to them at least, so he did. He turned to aim at the next one when a shout made him jump.

"Aldercapt," the king roared.

He was holding off a small horde of MT's, which were doing nothing more than making sure no one else in the room could harm the emperor, who was sauntering out of the room with a smirk. The asshole of a chancellor was beside him, as well as several of the surviving members of the foreign dignitaries. He turned his guns to take a shot at them, to try and at least take the emperor out before he escaped. It was only justice, after all the lives he had taken here and within his own country. But that's when he noticed a MT slip past the king's armiger, ready to rain a hail of bullets down on him. Clarus gave a shout, too far away to make it before the king was injured.

Prompto didn't hesitate. He loved this kingdom, who had given him a life. He loved the king, who had known everything about him and still trusted him. He loved Noct and all his friends, those who were safe and those now in the line of fire. And there was no question in his mind who he should shoot. The retort of his gun sent the MT reeling off balance, giving Clarus the time to sweep in and cut it down before it could recover from Prompto's assault. Pleased that the king had avoided injury for now at least, Prompto turned back towards the door, his eyes widening in horror at the armor clad figure that began making its way into the room. If things hadn't already been bad, now the General of the Imperial Army was here to cause issues.

General Glauca was a huge man, easily dwarfing all others still standing in the room. There was something terribly familiar about him, and that was what made him more frightening. He wore armor that completely covered him, head to toe in silver, and he carried an enormous sword. If the confidence of his stride wasn't enough to make Prompto uneasy, then the fact that he was a man known to destroy and kill without any sort of remorse was enough to do so. Hell, even the scourge was shifting and chattering nervously in his head, and that was something!

What had caused the man to come here now? The failure of the oracle's kidnapping or simply a strange stroke of fate? Whatever it was, Prompto had little time to prepare before the man lunged at him, lashing out with his sword. The scourge, sensing the incoming danger, screamed again and made him jump back, as if it felt a need to override his instincts more today than ever before. Surprised, he tried to jerk from its control, which ended up not taking him completely out of the way of the sword's swing. Still it was enough to save him from a fatal wound, though he still felt the icy blade pierce the skin on his chest and he yelped out a wordless warning.

Then he felt fire, like suddenly he had been torn apart. The scourge screamed louder than him, cursing at him for not trusting it (who the hell would trust the thing that was destroying the world?) and at Glauca for managing a hit. Small as he was, the large wound looked worse that it probably was, especially if the way the scourge was bubbling up through his blood to try and seal it was any indication. That didn't stop him from crashing into the ground though with a grunt and gasping for air, from nearly passing out as pain made him dizzy.

There was a lot of blood, enough that it was nearly impossible to tell whose it was. Prompto closed his eyes against a swell of nausea that came with the scourge and the pain, trying to catch his bearings. He couldn't die, not now. He had to make sure that he did what he had set out to do. He had to protect the king, no matter what. He just needed a break, yeah just a little one. His cry however had alerted both Clarus and Regis, who had been finishing the last of the MT's in the room, to the fact that there was a newcomer in the room, now standing over Prompto's still form which was lying on the floor. The blonde heard a quiet curse from the Amicitia.

"Prompto," the king called, hoping for a response.

Prompto didn't immediately move, still trying to keep his head from spinning. Glauca however took that as an invitation and turned towards the king instead, advancing with a menacing step towards him and his shield. Prompto managed to crack his eyes open, wheezing against the pain in his chest. It seemed like a fire had been rekindled in the man's eyes, which were flaming as he raised his armiger again. If anything, it made Prompto realize that he had to do something more to help the man. He had to move. Despite the way his chest was screaming at him, he forced himself to his knees, trying to get his head to stop spinning.

They had to move. They had to run. But they couldn't while Glauca was in the way. Prompto didn't want to watch his best friend's father die, not while they were facing off against something like this. He could hear the choir in the back of his head, chanting for blood. Something had popped out of place when he had hit the wall, and despite the scourge's attempt to knit the skin of his chest back together he could feel it pulsing through his head. Snapping up into his mind again, it tried to wrap around him, crying out in anger when it couldn't. He shuddered, hearing both Clarus and Regis calling out to him in concerned voices. But he couldn't hear them, he couldn't breathe.

He coughed, finally clearing his throat enough to get a gasp of air in. Something black slumped onto the ground next to his hand, and he stared at it curiously, wanting to feel revolted but just feeling an almost sense of relief. The Scourge. It was still fighting. It was trying to take him over. But he was scared too. He didn't want to hurt anyone innocent, let alone harm the king or his shield. He tried to shove the scourge down, but this time all he got in reply with a louder screech and a shaking body. Black liquid started to seep through his eyelids too, dripping slowly onto the ground in the same pulsing manner as the airships somewhere above.

PROTECT

DESTROY

SAVE

KILL

Prompto shuddered again, feeling the scourge slamming into his head, desperate to activate some memory that had long since been hidden deep in his mind. Everything hurt, and just letting it take over would let him rest. It would let him forget the pain for a while. But if he let it take over there was no telling how much damage it could actually do before it could be stopped, if they didn't have to kill him to do that. He suddenly could recall how utterly kind everyone in Insomnia had been to him. Would they be able to bring themselves to kill him? No! He wouldn't let it take him over! He wouldn't let it hurt them!

PROTECT

SAVE

It was...agreeing with him? He coughed again, spraying the ground with yet more of the burning, dying scourge that was leaking from somewhere inside where it was making him sick. Everyone had noticed him now. Glauca was watching him, entirely interested and no longer worried about attacking Regis and Clarus behind him. The king and his shield were watching in a fascinated horror as Glauca carefully approached, looking down at the quivering twenty year old man, whispering something to him. Whatever he said made the scourge bristle and snap again.

KILL

DESTROY

Was it telling him that it knew friend from foe? Could he trust the thing that was trying to destroy the world? His eyes flicked upwards, Glauca towering over him and Clarus and Regis watching with wide eyes in the background. Glauca moved to raise his sword and strike the blonde down for good this time, which finally seemed to snap Regis and Clarus out of whatever stupor they had been in. Clarus leaped forward, slashing at the general with his sword as the king's armiger sped into a hot pursuit. Both clanked uselessly off of the general's armor, their hasty strikes meant to distract the general. They didn't manage to pierce his armor or make him pause. His sword arched down, and Prompto closed his eyes, letting the scourge pull him deep into his mind.

* * *

 _ **Booting up Unit 05953254…**_

 _ **Running System Analysis...**_

 _ **Defense Mode: Dormant**_

 _ **Attack Mode: Dormant**_

 _ **Initiating Standby Mode…**_

 _ **Awaiting Mission Update...**_

Unit 05953254 had remained inactive for fifteen years, nearly terminated by his human counterpart. However the mammal's coding had been obsolete to his own, leaving much to be desired in performance. The unit recognized that the creature designated "Prompto" would activate his protocol again one day, however it was waiting that wore on the unit's patience. The human had been born and integrated into his systems and coding, creating a more efficient and lethal being.

If not for those worthless distractions that other humans called "emotions" they would have become even more proficient in their existence. Those in charge of their creation had managed to implement a small computer in their brain to run the coding on individual missions, however they had been unable to preform the rest of the necessary adjustments in order to create the optimal being known as a Magitek Trooper. It stood to reason then, that this was no authorized mission.

It was a seamless transition, thanks to the scourge that had been planted within them near their production date. In the time it took his system to boot up, he had a few moments to spare in order to analyze the situation. A commander of the Niflheim army was currently in attack mode, looking to deliver a decisive blow to them. Two Luciuns were attempting to distract the commander, perhaps in order to preform some sort of rescue maneuver. It was clear that his human counterpart had received heavy injuries that would hamper his performance. Unit 05953254 was confused, knowing that if he could not properly function it was imperative that his existence be terminated. The Scourge however surged forward into his cognitive function.

DESTROY

KILL

Clearly he did not have all of the necessary information required to complete this assignment. His eyes flicked towards the two Luciuns, hoping to find the data that he lacked to input appropriate responses to the current situation. The power source, designated the Scourge, seemed to find this to be adequate and began recreating a sound that was often used by members of the feline species to indicate pleasure. Accompanying this response were images pulled from his human counterpart's "memories", indicating his loyalty and "love" towards these two beings.

SAVE

PROTECT

This did not match any of the coding that he had been implemented with upon his production referring to the Kingdom of Lucius, however he did not resist or question the scourge as his human counterpart did. He understood that in order to gain significant power it was only logical that they should endure pain to receive it. His coding was absolute. When not given current orders by a commanding officer he was to defer to the power source to decide what actions would best be taken.

They had been given their ultimatum. The sword had very nearly completed its course, which would have normally ended his existence with no complaint. Unit 05953254 latched onto the power source, creating within his visual sensors a crimson glow that noted whenever the unit itself was analyzing and reacting to a situation instead of its human counterpart. With careful accuracy the unit moved, allowing the sword to bury itself into the wall behind him as he readied for his next action.

 _ **Situational Analysis: 100%**_

 _ **Unit Health Analysis Updating…**_

 _ **Complete**_

 _ **Internal Damage: 25%**_

 _ **External Damage: 45%**_

 _ **System Damage: 15%**_

 _ **Scourge Damage: 15%**_

 _ **Unit Remains 75% Operational**_

 _ **Mission Update:**_

 _ **DESTROY**_

 _ **KILL**_

 _ **SAVE**_

 _ **PROTECT**_

 _ **Deactivating Standby Mode…**_

 _ **Mode Analysis...**_

 _ **Standby Mode: Inactive**_

 _ **Defense Mode: Inactive**_

 _ **Activating Attack Mode…**_

 _ **Initiating Mission…**_

The unit wasted no time, as its coding indicated that swift action was always required in order to preform missions competently. As soon as the sword had buried itself into the wall, the unit was already moving their shared body. The mammal had proven to be no longer completely incompetent, as it was no longer in the infantile stages of development. A weapon was in their hand, as well as information required for proper use and management of the gun. The word "armiger" was updated into the unit's vocabulary, but it wasted no time in questioning the usefulness of the "memories" given to it during this time.

There was a surprised silence that fell, leaving the unit time to analyze the last of the data that it had been freely given via the power source directly from his human counterpart's mind. It was more than adequate, considering that it held information regarding previous missions and encounters that the more useful human had undergone with both Luciuns present in the room. If he confirmed his mission with them and engaged the enemy correctly then he had little doubt that they would also continue to function in a correct response to the situation.

"Hm," the Imperial Commander spoke, his voice sounding strangely garbled through the armor he had donned. "It activated. MT. Unit Number and Production Designation. What is your current mission?"

The man stepped back, taking his sword with him and providing the space necessary for the unit to return to a standing position. He did not however, deign to answer the commander. Considering that his mission was to DESTROY and KILL him, it logically stood to reason that he was an enemy. Those designated "enemy" were to be shown no mercy and swiftly terminated. His mission to the Luciuns however was to SAVE and PROTECT them, marking them within his cognitive function as "allies", which were to be used for mission success and guarded from bodily harm.

"Prompto?" one of the Luciuns inquired. It was the being that his human counterpart designated as CLARUS AMICITIA. Recognition for the EMOTIONS were those of fear, hope, and hesitation. He turned his visual sensors to the man.

"Unit Designation 05953254," was his oral reply. "Being Designation 'PROMPTO' is currently inactive."

It was clear that this response, though logical and adequate, was not successful in portraying the necessary procedure to complete this mission. All of the humans indicated SURPRISE and UNEASE at the current situation. It appeared that his long period of disuse had begun to alter the way that he reacted to certain stimuli, because a frown appeared on his usually stoic face in response. SURPRISE at least was an adequate response to his oral reply considering that Magitek Trooper coding required absolute obedience to any superiors present. Logically, according to his mission analysis, that indicated the KING, human designated REGIS LUCIUS CAELUM.

"Odd," the Imperial Commander noted, now indicating a reaction of FRUSTRATION. "It seems that this MT hasn't been completed. There's nothing really other than a computer to read its coding that's guiding it. Because of its coding, its supposed to listen to a commanding officer or the Scourge when making decisions in battle. It seems that both the Scourge and the system giving it instructions have been damaged, letting it decide that Luciuns are friend while Imperials are foes, as well as giving it the ability to act somewhat human. How interesting."

"The Scourge?" the KING responded, his body language and that of the SHIELD indicating HORROR and ANGER.

"How else do you think the units go from being human children to cyborgs or daemon soldiers?" the Imperial replied nonchalantly, which created a rise in EMOTIONAL response from the KING and his SHIELD. "Its small, most likely a sniper class. Quick too. But its damaged, and damaged MT's get decommissioned."

"Prompto move," the KING ordered, his voice seeming to imitate the sound of a large member of the feline species designated LION.

When presented with a direct order from a superior, Unit 05953254 promptly responded to it by leaping away to provide satisfactory distance between himself and the ENEMY. Sensory reception quickly informed the trooper that he was more heavily damaged than had first been projected by his self analysis. His body stumbled despite his training, and the ENEMY pounced to take advantage of the lapse in motor control. CLARUS however quickly moved to intercept the Imperial, blocking his sword with one of his own. This gave REGIS time to make quick use of his ARMIGER and send various weapons spinning forward to ATTACK.

The weapons did little damage, which indicated to the damaged unit that in order to achieve mission success while he was still operational he would need to provide a way for their assault to land. With this analysis in mind, the unit raised the gun that he had been provided, measuring a careful aim into the armor that the ENEMY was wearing. A quick retort from the pistol STARTLED the three beings in the room, but their assaults soon continued without pause. Perhaps seeing the DANGER that the unit posed or otherwise seeking to actively decommission him as earlier stated, the Imperial lunged towards him again in an attempt to farther damage him.

This time it was the clearly ailing KING that leaped into the way to PROTECT him. This response brought more confusion to the unit as he tried to comprehend the illogical choice. REGIS was clearly in less than optimal efficiency, and despite this fact he seemed to ignore all logic in order to SAVE the being he continued to designate as PROMPTO. When presented with information that PROMPTO was no longer active and only the unit itself was in working order the man continued to identify him incorrectly with a sense of HOPE that he would return to "normal". Clearly PROMPTO and REGIS shared a BOND more extensive than one of simply a superior and a unit. That indicated that he needed to alter his responses accordingly.

Since the man TRUSTED that PROMPTO was still active somewhere within the unit's coding, he EXPECTED to see him HELP. With this new analysis, the unit again raised his gun. When the gun retorted sharply in the air this time, neither CLARUS or REGIS reacted in SURPRISE. They continued their assault on the ENEMY commander, TRUSTING that PROMPTO would achieve the mission that his coding had set to him. Three more shots accompanied the first, all aimed at critical joints within the armor. While the low powered shells could not produce critical damage against such a foe, the larger weapons of his two ALLIES had no trouble.

A large clang announced to the unit that this new strategy had proven to be a success, as a section of the armor the ENEMY was wearing was fractured under the force of the larger and sharper weapon used by CLARUS. The sword bypassed all protective layers, eliciting a response of PAIN and ANGER from the Imperial as flesh was struck. Despite the damage that the unit had already sustained, this familiar response did rejuvenate him enough to keep him from allowing his body to shut itself down so that it could attempt to begin a healing process. DETERMINATION allowed the unit to remain within a state of consciousness even with the level of sensory PAIN that he was receiving from his damaged body. This however did not mean that EXHAUSTION was not already taking its toll, sending the unit back to its knees.

CLARUS recognized the obvious signs of DISTRESS that the unit was showing and motioned to him with his head. REGIS correctly interpreted the SHIELD'S silent order and quickly fell back to check on the unit's condition. Now seemingly ASSURED of the SAFETY of both, the man launched into another assault, this time settling for a nonlethal blow to the back of the head. While providing suitable distraction for any other current assaults, Unit 05953254 could not comprehend what the man was planning with such a simple measure. How would this allow them to complete the mission? The power source was likewise CONFUSED.

Another door opened, CONCERNING the unit with the possibility that other ENEMIES may have been sent to complete their own mission. A man and a women entered the room, one looking battle worn but still willing to engage in combat while the other appeared to be awaiting something. Upon analyzing the condition of the room, those within, and the ENEMY, the battle ready man was quick to JOIN the KING and his SHIELD. The woman likewise followed as quickly as she seemed able to, her eyes analyzing the condition of the unit instead.

"A MT?" the man GROWLED, preparing to unleash an assault.

"Its fine," the KING assured, sounding TIRED and WORRIED. "This is Prompto Argentum, one of Noctis's Crownsguard. I had him remain behind in order to aid us in evacuation since it was revealed that he could sense the Magitek Technology that the Empire wields. I have been aware of his condition of some time and it is clear from this recent battle that he is no danger to any of us. Mr. Ulric, I will explain everything when there is time. But we do not have time to wait now."

The man, designated ULRIC, was not familiar to PROMPTO. Unit 05953254 could find no MEMORY that linked the two, however it was clear that REGIS did know him and TRUST him and so the unit deduced that he was not a threat. He was tall, wearing all black and covered in tattoos. His hair was black, styled carefully behind his head, and his eyes were a dangerous BLUE. The woman however was much more familiar, and more concerned with his human counterpart's SAFETY.

She was not like the other man, radiating a light that made the scourge UNCOMFORTABLE and yet it seemed to LONG for it too. She was fair skinned and wore all white, her blue eyes emitting waves of CALM. Her blonde hair, pulled into a careful pony tail, spoke of PEACE. This being had a designation, if only from seeing her from far away. LADY LUNAFREYA. Seeming to seek a farther assurance from the KING, ULRIC finally nodded and assented to the unit's presence.

The woman reached forward, laying her hands upon either side of the unit's face and speaking quietly to him. As she did, light radiated between her hands, making the unit jump but easing the pain. Was she attempting to correct the damage he had sustained in the previous encounter by some unknown means? Her forehead leaned into his, ignoring the blood and the dark matter left behind when the scourge was attempting to aid the unit with extra strength or protection during missions.

"Blessed stars of light and life," LUNAFREYA said.

"We don't have time for this," CLARUS growled. "We need to move now!" REGIS nodded, understanding the need for haste, and focused his attention instead on the unit.

"Prompto," he said. "I need you to come back now. Your job is done."

An order, to deactivate at least for the time being. It was an order that the unit was loathe to follow despite his coding SCREAMING at him to do so. Unit 05953254 had yet to complete his mission. He had also been deactivated for fifteen years before his current reactivation as caused by an over stimulus of PROMPTO'S PAIN and FEAR and the scourge. However the scourge began to PURR at him again, assuring the unit that his mission had been completed as specified. Despite being CONFUSED as to how this was possible, the unit was APPEASED.

 _ **Mission Updating…**_

 _ **Mission Complete**_

 _ **Deactivating until further notice…**_

 _ **Powering Down Unit 05953254…**_

 _ **Complete**_

* * *

Prompto wasn't aware of "falling asleep", but gods he remembered waking up, and that was the scary part. He blinked, the last of the gunk falling from his eyes and through his lips, at least until it came back. No, that was a gross thought. It was absolutely disgusting! Then he was aware of the pain in his chest (oh right, giant swords will do that) and the fact that he was pretty much staring Lady Lunafreya in the face. Well, her eyes were closed and he thought she was trying to heal him, but everything else was a confused blur of memories from the MT inside of him. The scourge had retreated at least, purring and seeming pleased with itself.

 _Well at least someone's happy…_

"Back to normal?" Clarus asked, seeming concerned.

Prompto wasn't sure what to make of that honestly. Just earlier he'd basically been threatening to kill him if he stepped out of line. Now he leaned just past Lady Lunafreya, looking for something. Oh right, his eyes. MT's eyes glowed red. He kind of remembered something like that. Another man (all he was getting was Ulric) was watching him just as closely, but from where he was he couldn't see if King Regis was all right. What if he had failed? What if something had happened to him? He didn't want to think about that. Clarus nodded, mostly to himself, and from somewhere behind Luna he could hear the sound of a sigh of relief from the king.

"We must go," the king said. "We have no time."

A metallic roar sounded, reminding them all of the room's other occupant and the idea of escape. Lady Lunafreya winced, ending whatever magic she was trying to use to heal him and quickly standing. Despite the blood and gunk covering him, she threw on of his arms over her shoulders and nodded to the king, a similar kind of desperation shining in both of their eyes. The group turned, fleeing the room as quickly as they were able to in an attempt to escape the citadel before another disaster could strike. They all quickly filed into the hallway, Lady Lunafreya most dragging Prompto beside her and softly reassuring him that he was going to be all right. Upon reaching the elevator, Clarus punched it, glancing behind them for any sign of General Glauca.

"Come on," he hissed.

The General, despite being wounded, came crashing out of the room, charging towards them as fast as he could through the hallways. They could hear the sounds of his heavy footsteps, getting louder and closer. Prompto had to force down the fear that he felt building in his throat. What if he caught up to them? The elevator let out a soft ding, opening for them. Despite the small space all of them crammed themselves onto it, and the doors closed as Regis hit the button for the first floor. With an ominous shudder that said that the citadel was more damaged than they had originally thought, the machine began moving and taking them down.

"While we have the time," Ulric growled, eying Prompto carefully. "would you explain why he is here, your majesty?" Regis sighed, looking at the elevator panel as if doing so would make go faster.

"As I said," he said, sending Prompto an apologetic glance. Slowly, Prompto nodded. He'd worry about what would happen after that if he survived today. "Prompto is a MT. We were aware of this when we found him around fifteen years ago. Only Cor and Monica, whom I sent on the mission, and myself were aware. However he is no threat to us."

"Listen, Nyx," Clarus said, making Prompto blink. Was that his first name? "I didn't want to trust him either. But there are some things we can't ignore. He did help us back there. We probably wouldn't be alive if not for him. Something in his programming is apparently messed up, and he responded to us just fine."

"That is the truth," King Regis soothed Nyx, who finally seemed to relax just a little. "However the matter is far worse than we had imagined."

Both Lady Lunafreya and Nyx turned to look at the king, surprised and curious about what he was going to say. It was obvious that both the king and his shield were completely unhappy about this other information, and if they pitying and angry looks they were throwing his way were anything to go off of, they were aware of his true nature. The memories of the MT pointed to the fact that something had been mentioned about the Scourge, and Prompto didn't have to guess what their reactions to that information had been.

Nyx at least seemed satisfied, and so when the elevator doors clattered open finally he didn't ask any more questions. There was a lot of chaos on the ground floor, people screaming and fleeing for their lives in the aftermath of the explosions. Pieces of the floor above had collapsed at some point, now making more sense as to why the elevator had been in the shape that it had been in. Lady Lunafreya began trying to coax him out into the chaos and away from the elevator, speaking softly in tones he hardly understood over the screaming around them.

King Regis was looking around with a frown, hurrying the group towards the doors in the front of the citadel and their first breath of fresh air in a long while. If they could make it out of the doors, they would be safe. Honestly Prompto didn't even want to think about all the people who didn't make it out, or the amount of people that hadn't survived the first explosion. All of those talks of peace had shattered like the windows on the citadel. Through the surging crowd, another face could be seen, relief etched clearly onto his features.

It was Cor (okay inner fan boy, down), who was part of the king's crownsguard and was practically as immortal as the legends said. Seriously, the dude had survived just about everything! He was a lot younger than the king or his shield, but had been part of the crownsguard to venture with the king...like he was supposed to be doing with Noct. If there was anything he could take away from this though, it was that at least his friends were safe now. He had no idea if his warning had come in time to evacuate, but at the very least Noctis, Ignis, and Gladiolus weren't here where the world was practically going to hell.

Cor was tall and well built for using a sword, a though man with steely brown eyes. His brown hair was cut short, almost to the point that you would have to shave him bald to get anymore hair off of his head. The relief in his eyes turned to concern as he noticed Prompto's injuries (okay, maybe he was a little more light headed than he thought because there was no way THE IMMORTAL was worried about him).

"There are cars ready outside," Cor said, turning his attention back to the fact that they were in the middle of a warzone. "We'll have to run for it. There's no time! This place is going to-"

And that was when the citadel crumbled, burying them under rubble and the dead bodies that littered the once proud seat of government in the crown city.

* * *

 **And there we are, the end of chapter two. This took way too much time to actually write, and honestly I wish that it didn't. Mostly what took the most amount of time was writing MT Prompto. Like seriously, the dude is so logical about everything that I think I ran out of bland technical words to use for him. He's an interesting character to write though, which makes it fun in a way.**

* * *

 **Don't worry. They're not dead (because BS writer powers), and in the next chapter we'll get to see where they head off to after the fall of Insomnia and their escape. And next chapter will also feature Noctis having learned that his home town is completely destroyed and basically all of his friends and family that were there are now "dead". That was the point of having Noctis and Prompto fighting. Because I'm an asshole that likes to add feels.**

* * *

 **Anyway I hope you guys enjoy, and feel free to leave me a review below!**


	3. Effugium

**So here's chapter three. As promised, we're going to see the escape from Insomnia as well as where the characters are going to go and what they're going to plan on doing after that. Not only that, but with the end of the day, Noctis is going to wake up to some pretty terrible news. Pack your bags everyone we're going on a feels trip.**

* * *

 **Thanks so much for all of the support you guys have already given me with this story. Its not much but it means a lot, especially when I see that people do enjoy my work. Despite all of the technical difficulties and whatever mistakes I do make, I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story. Feel free to leave me a review below!**

* * *

Chapter Three: Effugium

* * *

Nyx was aware of the pounding in his skull before anything else, and the deathly quiet. Slowly he forced his aching body to sit up and look around, blinking for a moment to see if the scene righted itself. There were bodies, strewn across the ground in the darkness. Some of them were completely still, others groaning and attempting to sit up. Two however were figures were their arms raised, shaking as if against some unseen force. He could see Cor and Clarus attempting to sit up, also turning their concerned eyes to the scene around them. It was Lady Lunafreya and King Regis that were holding up the weight of the citadel with nothing more than barriers created by magic. Next to the Tenebrae princess was the still form of the blonde MT.

While the thought of having the creature close wasn't a comforting one, he trusted Clarus -a senior member of the kingsglaive- and the king with his life. If they were both vouching for him then he didn't see a reason to object to his presence, at least not until he proved himself to be dangerous. Nyx had never really paid attention to the prince or his young crownsguard, but he knew the blonde was part of their number. If he hadn't known the king had ordered him to stay from his majesty's own mouth he would have thought him a plant. While the blonde's actions so far had proven him innocent (aiding the king's survival was no mean feat against someone like Glauca), it didn't make the man any less suspicious now.

But there were more things to worry about than his own suspicions. Right now the princess and the king needed help before things got any worse, and the young crownsguardman was completely unconscious from his wounds or the citadel's collapse. Either or both could have been a factor, and Nyx couldn't help but be impressed with his fortitude up to this point. He looked like such a small thing...hell the kid was what? Twenty? MT or not, it didn't sit right with him to leave him here, potential enemies be damned. Once they escaped the city and Nyx got his answers, then he would decide if he was to be trusted or not. Until then, he would simply follow the king's lead as he had always done.

"Regis," Clarus gasped as the king let out a grunt of pain.

"This isn't good," Cor growled quietly. "We can't stay here. They'll either find us or those barriers will give out. We need to move, now!"

"How?" Clarus snapped back, glancing around the area fruitlessly for some hope of escape. "Where are we supposed to go? Once Lady Lunafreya and His Highness release those barriers the citadel's coming down on our heads!"

Nyx couldn't help but start looking around too. It seemed like the only thing that had saved them was some divine stroke of luck. With the weight of the citadel being held up only by the combined magic of the Oracle and the king, it was surprising that they weren't already crushed to death. In fact, the debris had fallen in a just the right way that the barriers could catch and hold the rubble above their heads. They should have been dead, but they were still here. Nyx shuddered, his own aching body reminding him of the situation they were currently in. Nyx glanced around, taking in the injuries of everyone in the darkness. Only the blonde man seemed to be injured.

Nyx carefully made his way closer to the young Oracle, hoping not to startle her or break her concentration. A thin line of sweat was gathering on her brow, her eyes scrunched up in pain and determination. He didn't have much time. Growling lowly to himself, he pulled out one of the few elixirs he had kept on hand in the case they had been needed during the signing. He was glad he did now, seeing how he didn't know how long the kid had actually been injured for and he would rather not see anyone die today because of the Niffs. He cracked it carefully over the blonde's chest, letting the contents spill over onto the wound. He could already see it knitting itself back together, and the MT let out a groan of pain and shifted. But he didn't wake, not that Nyx expected him to. He'd taken quite the beating from what he had seen.

Having eased his conscience just a little (you wouldn't hear him admit that out loud), he turned his attention instead to trying to find a way out of this place before their luck ran out or those barriers broke. He forced himself to stand on his aching legs, turning to survey the area. There were no other survivors in sight besides the group he had already been traveling with, which mean he had to wade through the dead bodies in the area. Still, for the sake of those who had survived so far, he did so without complaint. He wasn't going to let the king die here, not without one hell of a fight. He began to walk carefully around the edge of the small bubble in the debris made by the barriers, searching for any weak points.

Seeing what he was doing, Cor and Clarus both leaped up, quickly following his example and searching for a possible means of escape that they could use, testing the areas where there were gaps in the rubble that could be moved aside to allow for them to actually squeeze out. From where they were, screaming and the sounds of battle could still be heard over the sounds of Magitek Engines in the air. What little light there had been left for the day was beginning to fade as the sun set, giving Nyx a little more sense of security at least. The cover of darkness might be the only ally they have. Because they were making it out of here.

Finally Cor stumbled upon a section of smaller rocks, left where the citadel had crumbled over their heads. The debris seemed to not be bearing much weight, if any at all, but they were still reluctant to move them in case the strain on the king and the princess increased. Reluctantly though, Nyx realized that if they didn't do something to get out of here there wouldn't be time to see if there was another way out. He summoned his sword from the armiger, wedging it carefully in between the rocks and pushing. Clarus and Cor were both soon attempting the same thing, looking to widen the gap to one that they could perhaps make their way out of. Slowly, inch by inch, the rocks slid away to reveal what little daylight there was left, and Nyx breathed a sigh of relief that they had managed to find the edge of the ruins.

It also gave him time to peer out at the area around them. Much of the citadel seemed to remain in tact, but several floors had fallen out and on top of them, leaving the building unstable and no longer structurally sound. There was no telling how much time there was before another shock wave from the canons firing from airships overhead would knock the rest of it down, if at all. They needed to move, with as much haste as possible. He turned back, nodding to Cor and Clarus, who looked as relieved but still concerned as he did. As much as Nyx wanted to help others attempting to flee the capital, they really didn't have the time. He had to escape. Turning, the three of them quickly returned to the king, who was panting from exhaustion.

"Reggie," Clarus said, his voice taking a softer tone than before. "We have to go. We've found a way out, but we can't stay here."

"G-Get," the king panted, sounding out of breath. "Prompto...first!"

Clarus was already nodding though, anticipating what the king was asking of him. Though Nyx supposed that with as long as he had been serving the king as his shield, it was only reasonable that he knew what he wanted. The larger man returned his sword to the king's armiger, swiftly making his way to the blonde's still form. With more care than Nyx had ever seen the man use, he lift the small blonde into his arms and turned, trying to not jostle the tiny form as he carefully made his way to the opening they had made. The man carefully maneuvered the small blonde outside, disappearing from sight for a few moments before returning.

"He's safe," he promised the king.

"But we're not," Cor growled uneasily. "If we don't manage to make it out, we're going to be sitting ducks when the rest of this falls."

"How are we supposed to get everyone out?" Nyx asked, turning his eyes again towards the struggling Oracle.

It was clear that neither Cor or Clarus had any brilliant ideas either, and that really hurt. Nyx was going to be damned if he let the king die when he had only just found him again, and he had worked so hard to keep the Oracle alive that he would rather die in her stead. She was a wonderful young woman that deserved a much better fate than to die here at the hands of the empire's invasion. However it was that same young woman that next began to speak. Her voice was choked, faltering and halting as if breathing was becoming a terrible challenge, and yet it still held an authority in it that would make the gods themselves stop to listen.

"T-Take," she began. "the king! I can...hold it a little longer!"

"But princess," Cor said quietly, his eyes widening with shock. "if we do that then..."

"I can warp," Nyx suddenly said, his face lighting up with admiration as the young woman nodded with a strained smile. "I can grab her and make it out before the debris collapses."

"That's dangerous," Clarus growled. "If you're wrong by even a centimeter-!"

"Then that is where our legend will end," Nyx said grimly. "I'm aware. But it's the only chance we've got at getting everyone out of here alive."

"Yeah," Clarus rumbled lowly. "a slim chance. You would have a better chance at inviting Ifrit to a declare world peace!"

"A slim chance is better than none at all."

It seemed the man had no reply to this, and the Immortal turned to watch Nyx with a frown. It wasn't wrong. If Nyx was off course just a little or didn't make it completely through the small opening they had managed to make in the debris for their escape then both he and the Oracle would die. Nyx was known for being extremely accurate with his warping, to the point that he had been asked to teach prince Noctis how to use the skill as well. But it was a narrow opening, barely wide enough to let him and one other person through. If he didn't hit it just right the loss of the barriers would bring the collapsed floors down upon their heads, finishing the job the bombs that had gone off earlier had started. Still, they had to try.

"All right," Clarus relented reluctantly. "We'll try it. But I don't have to like it."

"It won't be as fast as you're used to," Cor reminded Nyx. "the Oracle doesn't have the ability to move with you, and you'll be carrying her so it'll slow you down. Do you still think you can do it."

"I'll have to," Nyx replied grimly. Cor just nodded.

"Good luck," he said, laying a hand on his shoulder momentarily.

"Grab the king and go," Nyx warned. "As soon as he's out it'll drop the weight completely onto the princess. We won't have time to escape after that, so you'll have to get out."

"We can handle it," Cor promised. "You focus on what you need to do."

Nyx just nodded, turning and moving, carefully positioning himself next to the Oracle so that he could grab her and warp directly towards the small opening they had made. He was checking and double checking the direction and summoned his sword again, watching the opening. It was his life line, the only thing that could guarantee that he wasn't going to die. Cor and Clarus on the other hand, had rushed immediately to the king, watching the ailing monarch carefully so that they could quickly grab him and get him out of there. Glancing towards the oracle, Cor gave a nod, then leaped forward and grabbed the king.

Clarus was behind him just as fast, grabbing the other arm and hauling the protesting ruler from the rubble as quickly as they could. As they did, the king was startled and lost his concentration, dropping the full weight of the broken citadel onto the princess's shoulders. She gave a pained cry, falling to one knee as she attempted to hold the last of it high above. Nyx shifted uneasily, watching as king's two friends dragged him through the hole as quickly as they could, but still much too slowly. The instant they had disappeared onto the other side, Nyx grabbed the young woman around the waist and threw his sword as hard as he could towards the fading light of the outside world. He focused on speed, turning both he and the oracle to little more than blue blurs in the darkness.

His sword struck something, the side of the wall. His aim had been just a little off! The princess's concentration had broken, and the debris were beginning to groan in protest as they smashed together, gravity winning them over at last. There was nothing else to be done. He grabbed her and hoisted her shaking form into his arms, dashing towards the exit with his precious cargo in tow. Behind him, the citadel was crashing down for the second time that day, making the very earth moan in protest from the beating it was receiving. Elsewhere, people were screaming as they saw the rubble falling again, losing hope for seeing those trapped inside of it.

Nyx had just made it to the edge of the exit, heart pounding and adreniline pumping through his veins, with hands reached through and grabbed the Oracle, pulling her from the safety of his arms. Before he could protest or even begin to make sense of who it was, another pair of hands had grabbed him and hauled him out of the hole by his armpits. Cor the Immortal dropped him rather unceremoniously to the ground, gasping from the effort and turning to look at the settling rubble with wide eyes. Nyx Ulric shivered, turning again to take in the scene.

There were no imperials in sight, which was a small blessing. However they were still occupying much of the city and there was little light. There was no time to take stock of the situation however, seeing how there was still much to be done before they could relax. They had, by some miracle, escaped the citadel. Now however there was the much harder job of escaping the wall, in escaping the confines of Insomnia itself. Not to mention the fact that it was now night, and the fact that the daemons would now be coming out in full force until the sun rose again. Had it really only been a few hours since Insomnia had fallen? It felt like years.

He turned instead to the group, taking in their disheveled appearances and tired expressions. Prompto, the MT, was still unconscious, and Luna was worrying over him despite the exhaustion evidently weighing on her. A soft golden glow told him that she was still trying to heal him, despite the fact that he was a MT. No, maybe he had simply made a hasty judgment. After all, if the woman said to be the link between humanity and the gods was so worried about him, maybe he truly wasn't as dangerous as Nyx had made him out to be. Now he was even more glad that he had used the elixir on the blonde earlier. There was no telling how long they had been unconscious before they had all come to, and he might not have lasted much longer. The king was likewise worrying over both young blondes, looking older and more ragged than the kingsglaive ever remembered.

By some miracle they were alive, but even that didn't discount the fact that they were still deep into enemy territory with no way of escape. Nyx could see the cars that Cor had most likely brought with him. Whether the drivers had still occupied the three cars hoping to escort the king and any survivors to safety when the citadel had fallen, they were crushed now. He could only make out the twisted frame of one car and a blown tire, along with a liquid that could easily have been either oil of some kind or blood in the settling darkness. There was nothing that could be done there. The cars were gone. They had three people currently unable to move without help and three who could.

Nyx Ulric sent a prayer to the gods, begging for just a little more luck. They were going to need it before the night was over.

* * *

Noctis couldn't sleep. It wasn't the lack of daemons out tonight or the fact that stars burned brightly overhead just outside of Galdin Quay, or the fact that the moon was full and casting an eerie glow bright enough to easily see by in the darkness outside of the window. He supposed that part of it could be attributed to the fact that it was still fairly early in the evening (at least for him), but the snores of Ignis and Gladio trying to get some rest in the room before getting on that boat that Dino promised them and going to Altissa tomorrow should have soothed him. But they didn't. Not tonight. Something was nagging at him, gnawing away at the back of his mind with the promise that something was horribly, terribly wrong.

He had felt Prompto summon his weapons. Of that he was sure. He had tried to tell himself again and again that it had only been his imagination, or that it had been some last minute training. However he knew that his father had asked Prompto to come with him into the signing room, though they had never told him why. Noctis could feel his hand gripping tighter at the phone resting in his lap, and he felt torn between reading the message that Prompto had sent him before he left. The phone had been suspiciously silent after that. No one had bothered to say a thing to him before anything else had happened. His best friend, his silly, bubbly, clumsy friend had been right there in the middle of everything. Sure, he could take care of himself now, after learning how to use a gun, and he knew that his father and Gladio's father would keep an eye on him, but it didn't stop the worry from growing in the pit of his stomach.

Finally sighing, Noctis relinquished his hold on his phone to allow it a rest from his anxious fingers. Prompto had always been kind of jumpy, like he expected something bad to happen all the time. If anything he had probably been startled or too nervous before the meeting had begun and had summoned his guns. He had probably gotten an earful from Clarus and a disappointed glare from his father. He had to be all right. Gods Noctis couldn't deal with it if he wasn't okay. No. He was sure nothing had gone wrong. They were following the damn treaty after all. He was going to get married and everything was going to be fine. Noctis rolled over, telling himself that it would work itself out in the morning when he woke up.

* * *

By the time Nyx had taken stock of the situation and reminded himself the danger they were all still in, Cor had attempted to remove the Oracle from Prompto's battered body a total of three times. Every time though she had returned the instant he wasn't looking, a small frown marring her concerned features as she tried to aid the healing process. Honestly Nyx wasn't sure what he was looking for or what she was attempting to do right now. What about the blonde had so captured her interest? Shaking his head he walked over, carefully lifting Prompto so that the kid was resting against his back, his arms hanging limply over his shoulders. Clarus raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't question it, turning instead to the king.

Despite both the king and the princess weakly protesting that they were fine, both were soon standing. Cor had one of Lady Lunafreya's arms draped across his shoulders, helping her to stand, and Clarus had done the same to Regis. Honestly it made Nyx nervous, knowing that if they were attacked right now they would be sitting ducks. At the same time though, he knew he couldn't leave any of their three injured party members behind. Cor, carefully helping the injured Oracle, turned to look at both Nyx and Clarus, his eyes speaking of the old soldier within his still relatively young body. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, turned his attention to the man.

"The cars I had brought are broken," he informed them. Nyx just nodded, having expected as much. "We'll have to make do with something else. Hopefully the staff parking for the citadel is still in tact. We can take my car. Nyx do you have one?"

"I do," he replied. "I can handle driving it."

"Good," Clarus rumbled darkly, sending the three injured members of their party worried glances. "because we're going to need to get somewhere safe as quickly as we can. Make sure to leave your lights off. Its dangerous, but we can't draw any more attention to ourselves than normal we already will."

"Whichever car we reach first," Cor informed them steadily. "is where we'll leave Prompto and Lady Lunafreya. The others will come with me to my car. Then we'll need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"Gods help us," Clarus whispered a quiet prayer.

From somewhere behind them, they heard another roar of fury. Glauca was on the move again. Whether he had seen them, simply realized that they were not among the bodies hidden in the rubble, or had been knocked unconscious and had only just awoken himself, they didn't have much time. An unspoken order to run was echoed between the three men, and Nyx hoisted Prompto higher onto his back before turning and sprinting towards the parking garage where all of the members of the staff of the citadel, kingsglaive and crownsguard parked their cars. Cor and Clarus were hauling the princess and the king along with them, moving them as quickly as they could.

Luckily as they continued down the street, their good luck seemed to hold. They ran into no daemons (there were enough lights running in the city to keep them at bay) and no MT's. Perhaps the empire's forces were elsewhere in the city, trying to keep what members of the populace that hadn't evacuated yet at bay or away from the citadel, but it seemed as if some divine had was at work to keep them safe. They finally drew close to the parking garage, a many tiered building that held many cars, some of which would not have their owners returning for them again. Thankfully the citadel's partial collapse hadn't destroyed the garage or endangered any of the cars parked within.

"Fifth level," he whispered urgently to Cor, who nodded.

"That's where mine is too," he replied. Slightly assured, Nyx nodded back.

Nyx hurried into the building, heading immediately for the stairs to go towards the fifth level where his car was parked. The others, knowing that the king and oracle wouldn't make the trip upstairs, headed for the hopefully still running elevators. A ding behind him told Nyx that they were indeed still running and he continued taking the stairs, two at a time, until he was nearly out of breath. He grimaced, knowing that this couldn't be better for the kid's health on his back, but that they needed to move with all haste. Finally he reached the correct layer and began darting towards the area where he had parked his dark black car.

He was so thankful, as he drew closer, that he had chosen the color. Other people had pointed out the implications of the color, which was associated with the kingsglaive, crownsguard and royal family. They had worried before that the car would draw too much attention to him, but now he was grateful he had never listened. The dark color would do well to hide them in the darkness. He shifted Prompto on his back, reaching for his keys and sighing in relief when he found them in the same pocket as always. He hadn't lost them.

A sharp bang made him jump and whirl around, looking for the source of the noise that sounded too loud in the silence. When the eerie silence returned, he finally squinted for the source of the noise, spotting a phone on the ground. It had shattered where it had been dropped, the entire phone practically snapped in half and completely useless. Since it wasn't his phone (he hadn't carried it with him to work today), he knew that it was probably Prompto's. It must have been shaken out of his pocket when he had shifted him to grab the keys. The damage was obviously not from the fall, though the tiny bits of glass told him that the screen had shattered. No that had most likely been done during the battle against Glauca.

Remembering the armored general was still searching for them, he turned again and ignore the now useless piece of technology laying on the ground. If anything he could probably buy the kid a new one if he really needed it, but right now they needed to live. He unlocked the car with the keys instead of the fob, not bothering with putting up the top of the car or using the fob as both would create more noise than he was comfortable with at the moment. He took his time, carefully laying the unconscious blonde in the back seat and gaining a groan for him. If anything it assured Nyx that he was still alive. As he finished, another ding announced the arrival of the elevator.

Cor hurried over, carefully handing the young Oracle off to Nyx and then motioning for Clarus and the exhausted king to follow him back over to his car, which was parked down a little farther on the same row. Nyx tried to help gently lift the young woman in the car, putting her into the backseat with the young MT, if only because he knew from earlier than if she wasn't near him she wouldn't calm down. She sent him a grateful smile as she settled into the backseat and he closed the door behind her. She lifted the blonde boy's head and laid it in her lap, running her fingers carefully through it as a soft golden glow surrounded her hands.

Shaking his head, he just jumped into the front of the car, hearing Cor's car start up somewhere in the darkness ahead of him. He couldn't see where he was, considering that the man's lights were off, but he couldn't help but wince at the sudden noise. It was too quiet, and the car's engine rumbling was enough to set his teeth on edge. Even so he dutifully started his own car, carefully pulling out and following the noise of Cor's car. Finally pulling up next to the red convertible, he turned his attention to the worried face of the Immortal.

"We don't have a lot of time," he said. "and we don't know how things are at the gate. We might have to plow right through them. You take the lead. We'll follow in case there needs to be any fighting done. Once we're out of the city gates we'll worry about finding a place to stay for the night, somewhere that isn't suspicious, where they wouldn't think to look."

Nyx frowned, aware of the unspoken agreement between them. _IF they made it out alive._ So far their luck had been nothing short of a blessing specifically given to them by the gods, but there was only so far that luck could hold before divine intervention would be the only thing that could save them. Even so, as he glanced back into the back seat of his car at the two blondes, he couldn't help but nod in understanding. IF they made it out was the best phrase for this moment, but Nyx Ulric would be damned if he didn't give it his all trying to get them all safely out. Instead of responding, he hit the gas, making the tires screech in protest as he peeled away.

Driving blind like this was terrifying, even with the full moon overhead giving them more light than they would have normally had to drive at night without the headlights running. It was pretty dangerous too, because Nyx knew that his car had bulbs on them that would allow them to keep daemons away at night. But until they shook any chance that they were being pursued they really couldn't take the chance to turn them on. He was having to rely on his own memories and his other senses to take them safely out of the parking garage at their reckless pace, but he was going to make sure that they made it out just fine. Behind him, Cor was like wise speeding.

The first sign that their luck was failing was the fact that the screams of daemons could be heard in front of them. Most of the buildings that were going to fall had already done so by now, and the MT's and the Imperial airships had already retreated farther inside to cause more mayhem elsewhere, but there was no denying the screaming and thrashing beings of darkness that were attempting to attack the cars. Many were simply thrown bouncing away by the sheer speed of the motorized vehicles, but it wasn't until another figure stepped out into the road that Nyx swore loudly.

It was General Glauca, who had not only tried to kidnap the Oracle but had done a number on the king, his shield, and the unconscious blonde in the back of his car. The man was apparently made of something that none of the rest of them could match, because parts of his armor were crushed, flecked with blood (some of which had to be his own, looking at the slash across the chest) and he had walked out of the fallen citadel with hardly any hitch to his step at all. What, was he a MT too? Nyx didn't pause to try and make out what Clarus was yelling at him in the other car, turning the wheel instead and barking at Lunafreya to hold on. She hunched over despite her seat belt, her eyes going wide as the back of the car slammed into the General and sent him flying back into the fallen Citadel again. Nyx didn't wait for her squeak of surprise before turning his faithful car right again and running down another pair of daemons.

"D-Did you just run over the General of the Empire?" Lady Lunafreya squeaked.

Nyx gave a noncommittal grunt in response, but he couldn't help but feeling satisfaction when the seemingly indestructible man didn't immediately rise, leaving both his car and Cor's free to smash their way through more daemons. Nyx didn't look back, pushing his car through the streets and towards the front gate, where he quickly spotted an Imperial blockade. Well, that's what it was supposed to be, but it wasn't fully done yet. There were only a few MT's blocking the way, which leaped up to try and stop their progress. Without any mechs or real guns however, the bullets they shot only ricocheted harmlessly before Nyx plowed through the line.

Cor's car was close behind, speeding away from the capital with all haste. They didn't bother to turn on their lights, not even now. There was always a chance someone could be trying to watch them and see where they were going, and that would be a dead giveaway where they actually were. Not surprisingly, there were no other cars on the road at this hour, so Nyx chanced to glance over his shoulder. Other than Cor's car, there was no one else following them.

It was too early to breathe a sigh of relief though, impossibly long though their luck had held out. He didn't want to find out how quickly it was going to run out. He kept the car speeding as quickly down the road as he was able to, looking to put as much distance between them and the fallen capital as possible. He was suddenly more glad than ever for the bright moon. While the darkness would hide them from prying eyes back at the capital, it was bright enough that he could just make out the dirt side path that ran off of the main road. Praying that it would lead them to safety, he left the main road behind with a careful turn of his car, barreling down this road now instead. If Cor was confused where he was going, he didn't show it. Instead he turned his own car after the black one, following at the same breakneck speed.

Glancing back again to make sure they weren't being followed, Nyx finally chanced to turn on the headlights, and not a moment to soon. Daemons were beginning to swarm the road in an attempt to attack the travelers, but they ran screaming as they saw the brightly burning bulbs, taking back to the shadows off of the beaten path again. Nyx couldn't help but hope it was the right decision, because none of them could risk getting into a battle with daemons right now, let alone the empire. When several more minutes passed by uneventfully however, Nyx finally let himself relax a little. Cor's headlights also flicked on behind him, and there was no one following.

Hopefully it would stay that way, especially as he spotted an old hunter's cabin. It appeared to be in good shape, even if the state of the car outside of it stated that it had been abandoned for some time now. The door looked solid from here and there were no windows to be broken through or for anyone looking for them to look into. With three injured and exhausted passengers, it might be the only chance at salvation they got. He turned, making his way carefully at a much slower pace towards it and letting his headlights do the work of chasing the daemons away while he looked over the area.

Not too far away was an alcove, covered with a tree growing over the top and rock on three sides. It was just large enough that they could squeeze the two cars into it, if they didn't mind destroying the paint jobs on both cars. Honestly at the moment, Nyx couldn't really give a shit about how his car looked, he just wanted to get inside where he could rest a while, and where they would be safe from the Empire for at least a night. He needed to sleep, now more than ever. If this was some divine intervention on their behalf he was going to have to pray a lot more and show just how much he was truly grateful for it.

As he pulled up next to the alcove and stopped the car, Cor was quick to follow, his experienced eyes looking over the area as well, before nodding. Clarus motioned for them both to stay as they idled the cars, flipping off the headlights again. The man carefully moved towards the cabin, eying the area for any suspicious movements or hints at danger. Seeing none, he moved instead to check the door, which was apparently as sturdy as he had thought that it was. He had to force the door open with the sickening crunch of a rusted lock busting, and he disappeared inside. Several long and breathless minutes later, he returned and nodded.

"Safe," he whispered loudly. "Looks like it hasn't been lived in for a while. But it'll serve our needs. Let's get these three inside. There are a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom, though I wouldn't recommend turning on the taps. Once we've got them settled in, park those cars and hide them. Then we can rest for the night."

Nyx nodded, sliding out of the car and turning his attention instead to his passengers in the back seat. When he opened the door, Lady Lunafreya simply shook her head and then motioned instead towards the still unconscious blonde. Sighing quietly, Nyx went to the other side of the car and carefully lifted the man into his arms, making his way inside to where Clarus was pointing out one of the bedrooms. There were only two, but they would make do. He carefully placed the blonde on the musty bed in the dusty room, returning to the car to find Cor helping the princess inside of the house, where she was arguing that the king needed the bed more than she did.

Clarus turned his attention instead to the king, whose brace had slipped sometime during the headlong flight out of the citadel. His cane was no where to be seen and he was heavily leaning into his shield. Still, it was good to see that he was still alive, and that's what counted. Nyx turned his attention instead to the cars, quickly starting his again and then backing it carefully into the alcove in the rocks he had found. Finding Cor's keys still in his own car, he repeated the process, wincing at the horrible grinding sound the two cars protested with when he backed it up into the alcove as well. When Cor returned, he simply took his keys out the ignition and helped Nyx to cut branches to hide the front of the cars with so it couldn't be easily seen. There were much more important things to worry about than the way their cars looked. They still ran fine.

Satisfied at least that the cars were hidden, the two men were quick to make their way inside of the shack and shut the door, barricading it behind them. It would hold for the night at least, and then when they were all rested more they would be ready to move. A soft glow was the only light in the room, from a single lamp that had been found and lit. Despite the layer of dust around the hut, it was clear from the full lamp and tidiness of the rooms that whoever had owned it had expected to return one day. The door being locked was another dead giveaway. But it had been abandoned for several years now, a chip in the door frame allowing the lock to rust until it could be forced open. The wind howled around the hut, but it was sturdy and more importantly it would protect them from daemons and monsters until the sun rose again.

Exhausted, Nyx settled into one of the chairs in the room, the couch being taken up by the king, Lady Lunafreya and Clarus. Cor had settled down into the other chair, and it wasn't until looking through the quiet light that invaded the room that he noticed how tired everyone was. Out here, where it was quiet and they could at least rest for the night, the exhaustion was clear on all of their faces. It was finally hitting them the sheer scope of what had just happened. All of their families and the lives of all those innocent people who had been lost. All the destruction that made their home completely unlivable now. It was really only thanks to the king's "Technical Adviser" that they had managed to evacuate as many people as they had.

That brought Nyx's mind back to the blonde laying unmoving in another room, which had the door open. It made sense. He was the one that was the most injured out of all of them. If they needed to get in there and check up on him during the night they needed to actually be able to get to him quickly. It still made him a little uneasy, knowing what he was and what he could end up doing at any time...he had seen too many MT's to think this one was any different. But he was still just a kid, and with the Oracle, the king and the king's shield taking his side… King Regis, seeing where his eyes had strayed, let out a soft sigh.

"I think," he said quietly. "that it is time I explained some things."

Every eye in the room returned to the king, taking in his exhausted and beaten form. Though the wall had been destroyed, it was clear that the ring was still weighing heavily on his soul, and that was what was worrying. Cor and Clarus shared frowns when they thought their old friend wasn't looking, but Nyx was hanging on his every word. The princess had folded her hands into her lap and watched the king with a kind and encouraging expression. Nyx would have been lying to have said he didn't notice the king's posture relax slightly when she did.

"Nearly fifteen years ago," the man continued, his voice retaining some of its earlier power. "I received word of a new kind of army being created, and sent Cor and Monica to investigate the claims. Of course, what we found there was one of the first facilities made to create MT's. And that is where Prompto was found."

"He was small," Cor added here, looking thoughtful. "a lot smaller than most of the other units there. He was also the only one we found that still reacted like a human child would and not a machine. He didn't seem to really be aware of what was happening, but we didn't feel like we could just leave a child there in good conscience. We brought him back with us."

"Indeed," the kind murmured. "When he was brought to me, it was revealed that he was a MT. However he was a child, and I wanted him to live as normal a life as possible. He was adopted and named by the Argentum family at five years old, and we continued to watch him. However after a point and time it became clear that he was not a threat. I had assumed at the time that perhaps they hadn't finished production on him. I allowed him to befriend my son, and after showing how trustworthy he was I allowed my son to make him part of his crownsguard."

"The kid's kind of a klutz, isn't he?" Nyx couldn't help but ask, his brows knitting in confusion. It seemed like an odd choice to make, even if they were good friends.

"He appeared to be," King Regis continued, this time meeting Nyx's gaze and holding it there. "however I had always suspected that it was because he was aware of what he was. He always appeared uncomfortable, especially when it came to the subject of the Empire. I had believed for a time that perhaps he appeared to be so clumsy all the time because was trying to keep his instincts as a MT in check." Then a fire seemed to appear in the king's eyes. "That however was the wrong assumption. It was far worse than we had originally thought."

Nyx felt alarmed to see the fury in the king's eyes, though his face remained otherwise unmoved. It was Clarus's growl of confirmation, some unheard agreement from here, that set Nyx's teeth on edge. These two men had survived a life spent fighting against the Empire, and they had seen things that Niflheim had done that would invoke anger. But never had he seen such fury awakened in the king's eyes. It then brought a flash of concern towards the unconscious blonde, making the man's eyes dart towards the bedroom again despite the fact that nothing had changed. Cor's eyes darkened when he noticed the change in the king, and the princess's brow had knit together in confusion.

"What did you find out?" Lady Lunafreya coaxed gently.

"It was during our fight with Glauca," Clarus continued for the seething king. "that Prompto activated as a MT. Despite the man's attempts to reach him, the MT only responded when either Reggie or I had asked a question." Nyx shifted a little uncomfortably, both because he didn't like where this was going and because he wasn't used to hearing the king referred to in such a casual way. "According to the General, his 'system' that reads coding was messed up, and so was the...power source."

The man paused again, attempting to find the words he needed to finish speaking. He seemed to be struggling heavily with it, like it was a delicate subject. Looking at the king's flashing eyes however that was entirely plausible. Now Cor's back had straightened, sensing the anger from both of his old friends as well as the fear that it held. Something was wrong, something terribly wrong and the Empire was behind all of it. Finally, Clarus seemed to set his jaw and began to speak again, his words weighted in a way Nyx had never heard before.

"He's not a full MT," the man said, as if to ease tension. "they apparently only put a computer in his head that reads the MT's coding. He's not one of the cyborgs or daemon like troopers that the Empire employs but still...Because of the damage the MT was acting in unusual ways, like imitating human emotion as well as deciding we were allies instead of enemies like it had been coded to think. And apparently its supposed to listen to this power source in case it doesn't have orders, and that...stuff agreed with it and had it fight to protect us."

"What?" Cor asked, his confusion echoing Nyx's own. "How is a power source supposed to tell something what to think."

"Come on, Cor," Clarus growled lowly. "you've seen it. You know what it does. It makes up daemons and MT's. Its practically destroyed our world already."

Nyx felt a dawning sense of dread settle over him, which he could see mirrored on the faces of everyone else. The King's face darkened farther, and the shield cursed quietly, seemingly unable to say it. But by the horror on the princess and Cor's faces, Nyx knew that they already suspected the same answer his mind was coming to. He had seen the way the boy's eyes glowed red, but a dark black liquid, the color of tar, had been bubbling out of his throat. The same substance had glistened on his face, like silent tears that no one else would hear. Gods he had seen the same thing on MT's that he had killed and removed the mask of, only worse.

"You don't mean-" Nyx couldn't help but gasp.

"The Scourge," the king finally growled. "the empire breeds cloned children specifically for their army and then injects the scourge into them. Most either become like the daemon like members of the army or are fitted with cybernetics to create super soldiers. Of all things I imagined, it was never this! That poor child..."

There was a horrified silence at this, though they had all suspected that it might be the case. After all, even Nyx had heard of the bubbly, clumsy blonde part of the prince's crownsguard. How the hell was a kid so friendly when they had the very thing that was destroying the planet existing inside of him? Hell, how was the kid not dead, or a daemon by now. Fifteen years? That was a long time to have existed in the crown city of Lucius without ever even showing signs of the parasite that was slowly killing him. Or was it killing him? Nyx didn't know what to think of the situation, or how to understand it. They had seen daemons inject people with the scourge and turn them into daemons themselves. Was what the empire used different? No, if that was the case they wouldn't become "daemon like" when they got older. Nyx rubbed a hand through his hair, unable to understand what it meant.

"The kid's a lot stronger than he looks," Clarus said, sounding both angry about the fact that it was necessary and awed. Nyx could understand. "he hasn't just been holding back the MT inside of him, but the Scourge as well. That's probably taking a lot of his will power and it causes him to become clumsy. Its got to make him nervous all the time as well, knowing that he's practically an enemy in our midst. And yet he threw his lot in with us, knowing any one of us could kill him at any time if we had ever found out."

"Not just that," the king said, a definite note of pride in his voice. "but he was willing to offer those stains inside of him up to help us to evacuate the city as much as possible in time. Growing up in the Empire, he knew better than anyone else that there was no way this offer for peace was genuine. He could have left with my son, safely out of harm's way at the citadel, but he chose to help us for the good of everyone else."

Silence lapsed again as everyone tried to digest the information. Nyx couldn't help but be impressed by the kid, as well as glad he had healed him as much as he had. It was a lot to take in. So all of those soulless MT's had started out something like the bubbly blonde that always tailed the prince? It was hard to believe, but if the Scourge really was injected into all of them… Gods that was a horrible thought. All of these kids were created just so that their lives could be stolen away and they could be made into the perfect little soldiers. Would that have been the fate of that tiny blonde man in the other room?

"Hold on," Cor said, confusion in his tone. "You said that the MT was 'damaged', but so was the Scourge? I mean I get that without regular maintenance the MT can break, but how do you damage the scourge itself?"

"Perhaps I can answer that," Lady Lunafreya said with a tired but gentle smile. "You see, I could sense something odd when I tried to heal Prompto. He isn't a normal MT, obviously, but the scourge it seems, cannot completely take him over. It doesn't have full control. I'm not sure how that is possible but it's true. Maybe it has simply tried so hard over so many years to take him over while it is unable to that it has caused damage to itself over time."

Everyone slowly blinked, turning to look at the princess with surprised eyes. What were the odds that something like that could actually be true? Nyx certainly have any other kind of explanation for what was going on with the blonde. Still, he couldn't help but admire the strength that the kid had already shown. He would have made a fine companion on the prince's journey, and he could understand the king's worry now. If the kid had just gone with the prince like he was supposed to, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. But he had known the risks and still decided to do his part to help the place he had come to think of as his home. If anything, it proved to Nyx that he was an ally, strange though he was. There was no telling how he'd do if it came to battle, but at the very least the king's insistence on keeping him safe made much more sense.

"Maybe we should rest," Cor suggested quietly. "There will be time to work out all this insanity later, as well as what our next move will be. But we can't do that if we're all about to drop dead from exhaustion."

Slowly everyone finally nodded and began to disperse. After nearly an hour, King Regis finally seemed to realize that Lady Lunafreya was extremely stubborn and retired to the other bedroom. Looking worn but triumphant, the princess retired to the couch, where she curled up and was soon fast asleep. Nyx couldn't help but snort in amusement when he noticed the way she looked like a giant white cat right there. It was almost amusing to think that she could act like a normal girl when she usually came off as calm and dignified, the perfect role of the oracle. Nyx, Cor and Clarus all settled into various positions around the room, falling silent and sleeping deeply during the night despite the sound of airships and daemons howling outside. But at the very least it was safe here.

* * *

Noctis groaned as the morning light hit his eyes, his foggy brain protesting waking up. The first thing he noticed was how quiet it was, which was extremely odd. Even though Prompto wasn't here, Ignis should have probably been trying to wake him up by now. Grumbling to himself, Noctis got up and carefully went through his morning routine, though by the time he had returned to the room he noticed Gladio watching the door. Noticing that Ignis was no where in the room, Noctis folded his arms and sent his shield a questioning look.

"Where's specs?" he asked.

"Went to get a morning paper," Gladio grunted. "Should be back soon."

As if by some unseen cue, the opened and Ignis came back in with a paper in his hand. However there was something off about the picture, as he strolled in during what should have been a cheerful morning. His face was shell shocked and concerned, as if he had just been given a huge shock and was now full of grief but was trying to appear composed in front of his friends. It sent a shiver down Noctis's spine even if he didn't fully know why. He tried to appear nonchalant, he really did. But he was pretty sure some of his anxiety would have come across in his voice.

"What's that look for?" he asked. Ignis just turned his head away, handing the paper instead to Gladio, who took it and focused his attention on the headlining article.

"It's in all the papers," Ignis said quietly. Gladio stared at it for a long while, surprise and horror morphing onto his features before he tried to disguise it.

"What is?" Noctis asked, dread settling into his stomach.

"Insomnia...falls?" Gladio asked quietly.

"What?" Noctis gasped, feeling anger and fear rising up into him at the same time. "This your idea of a joke?"

"I need you to calm down so I can explain," Ignis ordered. Noctis on the other hand felt his fury rising farther and took several steps towards his adviser instead.

"I'm as calm as I'm going to get," he snapped back.

"There was an attack," Ignis promptly told him, perhaps seeing that the prince was indeed as calm as he was going to get. "The Imperial Army has taken the Crown City."

"As treaty room tempers flared," Gladio began reading from the article. "blasts lit the night sky. When the smoke about the citadel had cleared, the king along with all of the Luciuns present at the signing were found...dead."

"No," Noctis said, his mind spinning and trying to desperately cling to some hope that he couldn't find. "wait, hold on..."

"We had no way of knowing..." Ignis said, turning and walking away, trying to hide his own grief at the news. Clearly he had read more of the article than he had let on.

"What?" Noctis said, trying to keep his voice level and failing. "Knowing what?"

"That the signing was last night," Ignis pointed out, slowly turning to face the prince again. "That Insomnia-"

"But the wedding," Noctis gasped, cutting him off. "Altissa!"

"I KNOW," Ignis growled, but quickly schooled his voice to sound far calmer than he obviously felt. "That was the plan. But the reports of the invasion are all the same. How could every headline in the kingdom be wrong?"

"Lies," Noctis whispered.

But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. He had felt Prompto summon his weapons, he had realized the fear and pain that he had felt even if he hadn't wanted to acknowledge it. But that wasn't last minute training or Prompto just being panicky or clumsy as usual. That had been war. Now he was sitting here, hours away from the crown city and stumbling away from Ignis to look across the water to where Altissa lay. It had held so many promises, of peace and happy reunions. Now it was just a bleak stretch of some island hidden beyond the horizon. His dad was dead? No it wasn't just his dad. Gladio's dad had been in that room and...Prompto. Oh gods Prompto had been supposed to go with his dad to that stupid signing. Everyone from Insomnia that had been in that room was dead? Noctis couldn't imagine it. Prompto...gone?

Hearing about his dad hurt. Of course it did. His father was the king, but he was still related to him. There had been so many fond memories that he had shared, even if he had been mad at him before he left. Gods he had been mad at Prompto too! He hadn't even spoken to him in days! He wished he would have listened to Ignis and had just said something...anything! He wished Gladio would have made good on his threats to drag him off and lock him in a room with Prompto until they had managed to talk things out. Gods he wished he hadn't been so stubborn! Prompto wouldn't even look at him the day they left. He didn't even go to the car to see them off! The only thing he'd done was send him that stupid text message…

Noctis spun around, quickly crossing the room and picking up his phone from where it sat on the table. He unlocked it with trembling fingers, opening the message that he had ignored for days before finally opening it now. Gods he hadn't replied. He hadn't said anything. What if it had been really important? Who was he kidding...Prompto knew him better than he himself did. He knew that he wasn't going to look at it or answer it. Had that been the point? As he opened the message he just stared at it, his brain not fully comprehending it for a long time. It was so out of character, so final. If he had seen this he would have known something was wrong. He checked the date and time. They hadn't even gotten in the Regalia to leave yet. They hadn't even left the front drive.

 **From Prompto:** _Thanks for everything_

Gods he knew. He had known! He had known that his whole life was about to go to hell. Did he know about the invasion? Did he know that he was going to die? He must have, if he had felt the need to say that to Noctis, instead of coming to say it to his face. Noctis had been too angry. He wouldn't have listened or wouldn't have taken it seriously until way too late. Gods he was already too late! And no, that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that he could see Prompto, laughing to himself and patting himself on the back for finally, _finally_ getting the last word in on one of their conversations. He could imagine Prompto being proud of himself for doing this and making sure that Noctis got away and DAMN IT he hated him for it! He should have been here, with him. Where it was safe. Where he wasn't buried under the ashes of their home...

"What else do we know?" Gladio asked, trying to keep his voice steady and calm. It didn't help. Gods that made it worse. He was their friend too! Ignis just made a noise in the back of his throat, shaking his head. "Then we can't be sure until we see it with our own eyes."

"You want us to go back to Insomnia?" Ignis asked. "It might not be safe for us there."

"It might not be safe for us anywhere," Gladio countered. Slowly, Ignis looked away, conceding that point at least. Gladio turned his attention back to Noctis instead. "Turn back?" Noctis took a deep breath to try and calm himself.

"Yeah," the prince said quietly.

It didn't work. He wasn't calm. And gods he didn't want to be.

* * *

 **So there we go! The end of chapter three! Did that have enough feels for you guys? Remember that while you're aware that everyone's alive and well, these guys aren't. Gladio and Ignis are going to react more to the news that one of their friends was now dead, but they're trying to keep calm right now because Noctis is freaking the f*ck out. Next chapter will have some more reactions from the chocobros and Prompto's going to finally wake up after being out for an entire chapter.**

* * *

 **Then after that some plans about how the oracle is going to go about her duty will be made, as well as what everyone else is going to be doing. I guess that I could make them all realize that everyone is alive, but I'm going to wait a couple of chapters before I do that. Because I'm an asshole like that. Basically I'll eventually reveal that everyone is somehow, miraculously alive, but not until there are plenty of feels about it. Divine intervention? More like BS writer powers.**


End file.
